Fuhr: Oilers Riding High for Game 6

 

Five-time champion hopes Edmonton can rebound and take the series against the Panthers to extra points.

When Grant Fuhr appeared at the 2020 Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he reviewed the NHL.com questionnaire that was placed in front of him.

When asked which shooter in the NHL today he would least like to face, the five-time Stanley Cup champion goalkeeper for the Edmonton Oilers quickly said, "Connor McDavid."

After four years, Fuhr still doesn't think he should modify his mind.

"Connor remains the same choice," Fuhr stated early on Wednesday morning as he left for the golf course in Palm Desert, California. It's difficult for a goaltender whenever they skate as good as he does and their hands stay up to date.

"His quickness and hand puck control on Tuesday in Game 5 helped set up Corey Perry's goal. McDavid is incredible if his hands can stay up with his feet. Guys can look horrible with him.

In the dressing room of the Edmonton Oilers at Northlands Coliseum following the team's 1985 championship victory, Grant Fuhr holds the Stanley Cup.

In the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, McDavid, who is perhaps the best player in the NHL right now, has completely turned the tables on his club, his hometown, his province, and even his entire country.

The historic cup has twice been polished without being presented thanks to the captain's back-to-back four-point games when Edmonton was on the verge of elimination. The Oilers overcame a 3-0 hole to force Game 6 on home ice on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Perhaps the Stanley Cup is glowing because it was X-rayed at the airport after it was begun in Florida, flown up to Edmonton for a possible award after Game 4, returned to Florida for Game 5, and then flown back up to Edmonton again.

 If needed, Game 7 would take place on June 24 in Sunrise, Florida.

The Oilers' remarkable comeback has preserved Canada's hopes of breaking through a 31-year national drought; the last club from north of the border to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

Answers to a questionnaire from NHL.com that Grant Fuhr filled out during the 2020 Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Since that championship, a Canadian club has lost in the Final six times, including four times in Game 7. The Oilers were one of those teams, losing in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

Fuhr, like many others, believed that the Oilers were in danger of going down 3-0 against the Panthers.

"I was pretty sure they would win at least one game in Edmonton," he remarked. And I reasoned that they could prolong it and make it a lengthy series if they had the chance to return to Florida. That's how it appears right now.

Edmonton may now even have the advantage in terms of momentum. With support from their home audience, they are riding the wave. They're probably just attempting to win each session, concentrating on 20 minutes at a time. That often works to your advantage.

"If you're Florida, your goal is to secure the Cup and win. Winning the final game and eliminating an opponent is the most difficult triumph in sports. There are moments when you choose to focus on the reward at the end of the rainbow rather than the journey that led you there.

According to Fuhr, "having your back to the wall takes the fear out of making a mistake." When you're ahead 3-0, you practically feel compelled to make a mistake. The distinction between taking the lead and pursuing it is significant. Play defensively and take your foot off the gas pedal a little bit when you have the lead. You just have to step on the gas and go while pursuing.

Fuhr has been immersed in hockey, working as a broadcast analyst for the American Hockey League's Coachella Valley Firebirds and having watched his former team win 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Firebirds defeated the Hershey Bears 6-2 on Tuesday in the third game of the best-of-seven Calder Cup Final.

With Games 4 and 5 of the Oilers-Panthers series taking place at home on Thursday and Saturday, Coachella Valley is just two wins away from the championship.

Regarding the schedule, Fuhr stated, "It's worked out well." "Every night, I've been watching hockey." And I sneaked up to Los Angeles to watch Game 3 of the opening round, which saw the Oilers defeat the Kings 6-1.

Goaltending has once again been the main attraction. Sergei Bobrovsky of Florida outperformed Stuart Skinner of Edmonton in the first three games and was widely predicted to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the most valuable player of the postseason.

In the first game, Bobrovsky shut out the Oilers 3-0 while making 32 saves. In the second game, the Panthers won 4-1 with Bobrovsky stopping 32 more shots.

However, McDavid's incredible performance in Games 4 and 5-scoring two goals and two assists in a 5-3 thriller on Tuesday-and an 8-1 rout on Monday altered the course of events. With 42 playoff points and 34 assists, the Oilers' captain is currently placed top in both categories. Many now argue that, win or lose, he is the sole pick for the Conn Smythe award.

Skinner was on his head, saving 61 shots out of 65 in back-to-back knockout games while Bobrovsky was being defeated five times on 16 shots in Game 4 and four times on 23 shots in Game 5.

Through five Stanley Cup Final games, Skinner's 2.67 goals-against average and.902 series save % are just marginally better than that of Andrei Bobrovsky, the 2013 and 2017 Vezina Trophy winner and this season's finalist.

Skinner's.938 over the last two games was significantly better than Bobrovsky's.769.

"In Games 4 through 7, Stuart's numbers are phenomenal for some reason," Fuhr remarked. Not as much for Games 1 through 3. Is he going to put his foot down? When his back is against the wall, he performs better. In Game 4, with the score tied 2-1, he produced a stunning stop that changed the game. When the score was 0-0 on Tuesday night, he took the identical action, which altered the game's flow.

Then give Sergei a look. If he doesn't stand on his head, Edmonton wins the first game. Although the Oilers performed admirably, Sergei was the key.

With Edmonton, Fuhr won the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Bill Ranford went all the way in 1990, the year his colleague goalkeeper was sidelined by a shoulder injury.

With a save percentage of.899 and goals against of 2.87 in his four Cup-bound seasons of play, Fuhr finished with 56 wins and 14 losses.

The 2003 Hall of Famer will take your word for it that his Stanley Cup Final record in a sixth game is 0-1, a 3-2 away loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on May 28, 1987. His Oilers are currently playing in Game 6. Three nights later, on home ice, he gave up just one goal in a 3-1 Cup-winning triumph.

For Fuhr, victories versus losses are the only postseason statistics that matter, even in this day of advanced analytics.

"Playoff hockey is easy for a goalie," he remarked. "It has nothing to do with goals against average or save percentage. To shift the course of a game or win one, you have to make the proper save at the right moment.

The enjoyable aspect about being a goaltender in the playoffs is that you can impact every game, win or lose. You'll either take the fall or the praise.

For Game 6, Fuhr will be lounging on his living room couch, hoping that his Oilers can send this incredible series back to Florida for a thrilling, decisive game.

He declared, "It's going to be one of those 2-1 games." "It will be necessary for both goalies to stand on their heads. The elimination phase is really difficult. You'll need to consider your top offensive players, including Zach Hyman, who has had an outstanding season for Edmonton, McDavid, and (Panthers captain) Alexander Barkov.

"Your most experienced players must stand up and perform at their highest level. We were really lucky. When it was necessary, "Mess" and "Gretz"-Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky-stepped up for our teams.

For a goalkeeper who has won hockey's most prized award five times, a strong goaltending contest that decides the Stanley Cup or pushes the series to its limit is ideal.

"It's going to be a goaltending show once you get to the Stanley Cup Final," Fuhr said. "And I really love that."