Sarah Mills: There's nothing like the collective joy we get from sports
With the Edmonton Oilers up one game in the Stanley Cup Final, Sarah Mills says there's something very special about the...
It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon and after Florida’s 5-4 double OT win in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton on Friday that saying rang truer than ever.
Oilers fans gathered at The Canadian Brewhouse in Saskatoon to watch the game went on what can only be described as a roller coaster of emotions that ended with stunned faces and hands on heads.
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Sam Bennett started the game off for Florida with a quick goal i the first period, making it 1-0.
Goals from Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard made it 2-1 for Edmonton but Florida bounced back with a reply from Seth Jones before Leon Draisital gave Edmonton the 3-2 lead going into the second period.
It was all Florida in the second, as Dmitry Kulikov and Brad Marchand beat Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner to give Florida a 4-3 lead heading to the final frame.
With less than one minute left in the third period and an empty net for Edmonton, Corey Perry re-energized a fan base hungry for a championship with a game-tying goal.
“I was jumping out of my seat, like ‘Oh my god!’,” said Oilers fan Nick Joshua.
“If there wasn’t a table here I’d be on the roof,” said Ethan Nygaard, another Edmonton supporter.
“(The tying goal) was nuts — the table went wild, the bar went wild, the horns went off,” said Devyn Gregoire. “It was awesome, nice to be a part of.”
But then heartbreak. In the second overtime Marchand silenced the bar amd the country with the winning goal for the Florida Panthers, tying the series at one win a piece.
Oilers fans were resolute.
“It’s a heartbreaking loss. You just got to regroup and try again next game,” Joshua said.
“The game was really exciting. I think they’ll (the Oilers) will get it done yet (win the Stanley Cup)” said Nygaard confidently. “This is the only game they give up.”
“I thought it was a heck of a hockey game. It was back and forth, it was a toss up,” said Gregoire. “Unfortunately not the ending we all wanted, we want the Oilers to win.”
For an Edmonton fanbase that went through the Decade of Darkness from 2006 to 2016, when the team failed to make the NHL playoffs, back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances has everyone excited.
“It’s super fun,” said Nygaard. “I’m confident they’re going to get it done this year, and if not, next year.”
“I’d say this is probably the best Oilers team I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Gregoire. “Last year was a heartbreak.”
Fans are also looking for revenge, after the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh game of the finals.
“Last year it killed me,” said Joshua. “It’s really nice where they are at right now… the Oilers look like a lot better of a team than they did last year in the finals.”
The series now shifts back to Sunrise, Florida, tied at one win apiece. Game 3 goes Monday, June 9 at 6 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena.
— with files by Will Mandzuk
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