Oilers, fans excited for Game 6 of the Cup final, unlikely comeback bid

Edmonton is trying to become the second team to fight back from a 3-0 deficit in the final to win the Stanley Cup. Of the 28 teams previously in that position, only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs could accomplish it, beating the Detroit Red Wings.

The Oilers are halfway there. An 8-1 win in Game 4 at home and a 5-3 victory in Game 5 on the road have them and the city believing completing the comeback is possible.

“Our backs are against the wall. There is no easy way to say it,” Perry said. “So you have to have that (same) mentality as we went into Game 4, going into Game 5. It has to be exactly the same way.

“We have to come out, we have to make that jump early. We did that over the last few games and never looked back. You should play this game every night. You never know what’s going to happen. We’re looking forward to coming home and playing in front of our fans. We feel comfortable when we come home and play here. These fans, they give us that extra boost.”

The Oilers players have always been recognizable in the city in the Canadian market, but this run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs has increased their profile, said defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who is in his second season with Edmonton.

“It’s definitely been different, especially during this playoff round,” Ekholm said. “People are excited, people are happy. It’s a great thing at the end of the day.

“I went to our community league soccer game yesterday for my son and he runs up to me and says, ‘Dad, my teammate wants to meet you.’ There are some challenges with that, but we embrace it and it’s fun. People here clearly love hockey, and those are just a few things that pop up every now and then. We enjoyed our time here and we still do, and I have nothing bad to say.”

Just like Edmonton’s run to the Finals in 2006, this year’s journey is full of memorable moments to cherish for a long time. The Oilers hope to top it all off with a Stanley Cup victory, which could cement McDavid’s legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.

“You work your whole life to get into a position like this and you think when you get here there will be some magical feeling, but you don’t know what to expect,” McDavid said. “It’s all been very normal. “This has always been part of the plan for our group to be in a position like this, playing big games at home, big moments, and tomorrow night it’s just another one of those games.”

McDavid said he hasn’t thought about what his lasting iconic moment could be if the Oilers manage to mount a comeback.

“They are a byproduct of all the work we did throughout the regular season, all the work we did during this run,” he said. “Those moments are the product of guys being ready for the big moments, and there is no group more ready for this moment than this one right here.”