Oilers' Corey Perry Has Wormed His Way Into the Conference Final

Just when everyone thought he was gone, Corey Perry has wormed his way into the Western Conference final.

How sneaky.

Perry, who is affectionately known as 'The Worm,' has long been a player who has the skill and sandpaper to make an impact at this time of year. But at his age, those skills have diminished recently. It is why the 39-year-old was a healthy scratch for the final two games in the second round. And it is why he was out of the lineup for the first three games against Dallas.

But with Edmonton's "back against the wall" heading into Game 4, Perry finally emerged and was one of the reasons why the series is tied 2-2.

Perry had an assist in the 5-2 win. It was his first point. But if the Oilers are going to win this series, it likely won't be his last.

This is why the Oilers picked up Perry from the scrap pile on Jan. 22. This is why they were willing to roll the dice on a player who had his contract in Chicago terminated because of "conduct that is unacceptable." He is a Stanley Cup veteran. His playoff experience — reaching the conference final four times in the past five years — and disruptive presence sometimes cannot be measured on the scoresheet. Although, he does have a knack for coming up big when it matters the most.

"It’s been tempting,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters. “We were looking for a change in the Vancouver series and had some success. We certainly don’t think we had success because we took Corey out of the lineup and put someone else in.” 

Perry wasted no time making an impact upon his return. 

Despite the Oilers falling behind 2-0 early, he helped spearhead Edmonton's comeback, assisting on the first goal. In just 13 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time, he also had three hits, a blocked shot and a shot on goal.

"You have to put that to the side, and when you get your name called again, you come in, and you work hard," Perry told reporters, who brushed aside talk of reaching yet another Stanley Cup final. 

"We're only looking at the next game and not worried about what comes after."

If anyone knows the importance of not looking too far ahead, it’s Perry. 

Though Perry won the Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, his success rate hasn't been the greatest. Perry reached the Stanley Cup final in three consecutive years with three different teams (Dallas in 2020, Montreal in 2021 and Tampa Bay in 2022) and lost all three times. 

Despite the so-called "Corey Perry curse" of making it to the final and losing, Perry is showing why his teams tend to go deep. If he remains in the lineup, maybe Edmonton could be the next team to worm its way into the final.

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