June 21, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Florida Panthers will have a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night in what is the biggest home game for the Oilers since Game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.

Panthers

The Panthers have a stellar 4-1 record in Game 6s since 2021. They’ve won their last four consecutive Game 6s dating back to 2022. Their record in Game 6s at home is 2-1, and it is 2-0 on the road.

They played their first Game 6 in the modern era against the vaunted Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. That series was one of the most entertaining series I’ve watched in my life! The teams played two intensely fierce games to close out their regular season schedule before meeting in the first round. The games were action packed, violent affairs with a lot of goals and excitement. The Panthers were unable to stop the Lightning’s powerplay in that series. They were down 3-1 in the series before winning Game 5 and ultimately losing the series in Game 6.

The Panthers faced the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. They were down 2-1 after three games, but they won the next three games to take the series in six games. Game 6 was an overtime win on the road for the Panthers.

They found themselves in a similar situation in round one against the Boston Bruins last season. They were down 3-1 in the series, and they managed to complete the comeback by winning three straight games, including a Game 6 win at home.

The Panthers have played two Game 6s in these playoffs, and they clearly have won them both. The Bruins pushed their second round series to a Game 6 when faced with a 3-1 deficit, but the Panthers closed out the Bruins at the TD Garden in Boston in Game 6.

The New York Rangers took a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final after consecutive overtime wins in Games 2 and 3. The Panthers won the next three games in a row to take the series in Game 6 on home ice.

The Panthers are battle tested in Game 6s, and they have fared quite well in those games. However, they have not played a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final before.

Oilers

The Oilers have an also stellar 6-1 record in Game 6s in the Connor McDavid era. They are 3-1 in Game 6s at Rogers Place, and 3-0 in road Game 6s.

The Oilers and the San Jose Sharks were even through four games. The Oilers got a huge overtime goal from David Desharnais in Game 5, which gave them the chance to close out the series in the Shark Tank. The Oilers got goals from Leon Draisaitl and Anton Slepyshev in the first period, and McDavid added an empty netter in a 3-1 win in Game 6.

Related: Deep Dive: 5v5 play through five games of the Stanley Cup Final

They went on to face Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks in round two. Game 5 featured the infamous three-goal collapse, Ryan Kesler grabbing Cam Talbot’s pad, and a double overtime winner from Perry. The Oilers took their frustrations out on the Ducks in Game 6 at Rogers Place though. Draisaitl got his first career playoff hat trick in a 7-1 drubbing of the Ducks in Game 6 that forced a Game 7.

The Oilers didn’t get another Game 6 until the first round of the 2022 playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings won Game 5 in overtime in Edmonton, so the Oilers went to Los Angeles facing elimination. Tyson Barrie scored the game winner in the third period, and Evander Kane held up seven fingers to the crowd after scoring the empty netter to seal the Game 6 win to force a Game 7.

The two Pacific Division foes faced off in the first round again in 2023. This time, the Oilers went down 2-1 after Game 3 and went on to win three straight games to take the series in six games. Kailer Yamamoto scored the series winning goal on a deflection in the third period of Game 6 in Los Angeles.

The Oilers then faced the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. The Oilers had the lead in every single one of those six games. A Jonathan Marchessault second period natural hat trick led to the Oilers’ demise in a Game 6 loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. It was a bitter loss to be sure.

The Oilers have also played in two Game 6s in these playoffs. Just like they did in 2017, the Oilers took their frustrations over a frustrating and dramatic loss in Game 5 on the road out on their opponent in Game 6 at home. The Vancouver Canucks got a last minute winner from JT Miller in Game 5, but the Oilers won Game 6 by a score of 5-1. 

Related: Oilers vs Panthers: Recent Game 5 history

They went on the road and beat the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the third round, which gave them a chance to win the Western Conference Final in Game 6 at Rogers Place. They got two first period powerplay goals from McDavid and Zach Hyman, and they didn’t look back on their way to advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers are 1-1 in two Stanley Cup Final Game 6s in their history. The Philadelphia Flyers were able to force a Game 7 against the Oilers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final with a Game 6 win in Philadelphia. The Oilers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers were down 3-1 in the series, and they won Game 5 thanks to a short-handed overtime goal by Fernando Pisani. They came home to an electric Rexall Place and won Game 6 by an emphatic score of 4-0.

Wrap

Friday’s Game 6 is just the second ever Stanley Cup Final Game 6 to be played in Edmonton. We know it will be the last home game of the Oilers season regardless of the outcome. Rogers Place is going to be an absolute MADHOUSE on Friday evening! Enjoy every last second of this day, Oilers fans! Get downtown early and take in the festivities. Soak in this atmosphere. Days like today don’t come around all that often, so don’t take it for granted. Take advantage of the day! I don’t have to tell Oilers fans to be loud tonight. Our passion will ensure that we are heard all the way down in Florida and beyond.