After an 8-1 victory in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers have momentum to pull off a miracle.
The Oilers are convinced that they can accomplish what the Rangers could not:
* Break the Panthers spirit.
* Break through the Florida defenses.
* Break through the 82-year-old record of winning four in row after being down three.
They can do what the Rangers could not do because they have the world's greatest player in captain Connor McDavid and last night he did something that the Blueshirts C-Man Jacob Trouba could not. Nor The Breadman, nor King Kreider for that matter.
McDavid aroused his troops with an unprecedented dambusting of goals that could demoralize the Floridians for the rest of the series.
Rangers historians remember how in 1942, the Blueshirts were hellbent for their second Stanley Cup in three years when the Maple Leafs whipped them in six games. Toronto then fell behind 3-0 to Detroit and won the next four in a row and the Cup.
That Maple Leafs feat never has been repeated in the Stanley Cup Final Round.
Whether an aroused Edmonton club can repeat what was done 82 years ago will depend on Game 5 in Sunrise, Florida on Tuesday.
What matters now is what both the psychological effect the 8-1 lambasting has on Florida's goalkeeper, Sergei Bobrovsky and a defense that was transformed from the Great Wall of China to toilet tissue.
The fact that Bob was pulled before the half-way mark of the middle period cannot help the Cats confidence level.
Besides, Edmonton's goalie Stuart Skinner is 11 years younger than his foe. Bob may very well be feeling the negative effects of attrition. Skinner is merely feeling his oats.
When Toronto overwhelmed Detroit in 1942, it was thanks to a couple of demoralizing events.
1. Wings coach Jack Adams was suspended for the series after punching referee Mel Harwood after the Game 4 loss.
2. The Leafs then followed up with a resounding win in Game 5 and went on to win the Cup in seven. To this day the beat boggles my mind. (But back to the Rangers for a hockey second.)
Last night, Edmonton fans got to see what Rangers fans wanted more of and did not get – speed on top of speed.
"The Oilers have more speed than the Rangers showed and we saw it on display last night," says my Panthers' reporter Al Greenberg. "Edmonton's speed and stretch rushes were just too good. And nobody is better than McD at carrying and maintaining puck possession."
The Rangers third and fourth liners had their moments but none like no-names Dylan Holloway and Mattias Janmark.
What remains to be seen is what kind of encore McDavid comes up with in Game 5 as Superman and Captain Marvel all rolled up into one.
Toronto-bred hockey player Mark Nussbaum is one Oilers fan who believes that Edmonton could do what the Rangers could not – win three more games in a row.
"They can build off the win at home," says Nussbaum, "and can do it if the other stars like Draisaitl and Hyman start coming through. Now they have confidence. You can bet that Barkov and his friends do not want to return to crazy Rogers Place."
When the Rangers were down three games to two, the club needed its Big Three to deliver but it failed.
Now the onus is on Edmonton's Big Three – McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman. They must be better if the Oilers expect to prolong the series.