Zach Hyman was right — The Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final

“There’s nothing that’s going to make this feel better. Nothing we say, but I know we’re gonna be back. I f–king know we’re going to be back, boys. I know it in my f–king heart. This is the f–king worst feeling in the world.”

Those were some of the words that Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman had for his teammates on June 24th, 2024 — moments after the team lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Well, it turns out that he was right: they are back in the Stanley Cup Finals, set for a rematch with the Florida Panthers.

Edmonton punched its ticket Thursday night to fight for the trophy that matters most in thanks to a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars that saw them score three goals in the first 8:07 of the game, chasing Jake Oettinger from the crease. The Oilers managed to score on him with their first two shots of the game, one from Corey Perry on the power play and another when Mattias Janmark iced a breakaway chance.

Jeff Skinner, who drew into the playoff lineup for the first time since Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, added the third, beating Casey DeSmith on the fourth shot he faced. Then, all the Oilers had to do was weather the storm as best they could, getting help along the way from a huge Connor McDavid goal late in the game and another from Evander Kane in the third period.

Now, after 11 months of thinking about what went wrong to see them lose to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers have a chance to get on the right side of the ledger.

“I’ve said this throughout the playoffs: this is why we play,” said Oilers winger Corey Perry. “This is what we do, and these are the things you dream about.

“There’s some guys in there who haven’t been there, some guys in here that know that feeling, and we said last year right after Game 7 ‘We’d be back,’ and we’re back and we’ll see what we can do.”

Make no mistake, this Oilers team is different. Much of the adversity they faced were early on in the playoffs, dropping Games 1 and 2 against the Los Angeles Kings, only to roar back with four straight wins, icing the series in a way that nobody besides maybe those in that Oilers locker room thought they could.

Then they had to face the Vegas Golden Knights, a team who just two years prior, eliminated their hopes of winning a Stanley Cup, just to watch that franchise win its first Stanley Cup. Trailing in both Games 1 and 2 — just as they did in all their wins against the Kings — the Oilers dug deep, finding another level to comeback and win those games, setting an NHL record in the process for most consecutive come-from-behind wins in the playoffs. Back-to-back shutouts from Stuart Skinner iced that series in five games.

But there was no way they could find a way to beat the Stars in the Western Conference Finals for a second straight year, especially considering they added Mikko Rantanen, right? Wrong. The Oilers would spot the Stars a Game 1 win, only to turn around with four straight wins.

They weren’t just run of the mill wins, though — they were domination from the Edmonton Oilers, staving off multiple big pushes from the Stars — but none of that would matter, as over the course of the series, the Oilers would lead for 226:34 of the 300 minutes that were played, while Dallas only did so for 14 minutes and two seconds.

“I think we’re better for going through last year,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who wasn’t shy to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl this year, the opposite of last. “It was a great learning experience, and it’s really driven us all year.

“I think this run has felt different than last year. It’s felt very normal, it’s felt very — I don’t want to say boring, because it’s not boring at all — but it hasn’t been as emotional. We haven’t had the highs, we haven’t had the lows. It’s just kind of been steady, and I think that’s put us in a good position. Those games can be emotionally draining. We’re not drained. We’ve got lots of depth.

“We got as good a chance as they do.”

The Oilers will look to do so with a different look than last year, for sure. Vasily Podkolzin, Viktor Arvidsson, Trent Frederic, Kasperi Kapanen, Jeff Skinner, Jake Walman, John Klingberg, Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher all mark the newcomers to this years Stanley Cup Final, all filling out the Oilers roster in a big way throughout these playoffs.

All, among the other depth pieces spread across the roster, will be relied upon in various ways to find ways to contribute off the ice and on the ice, whether it be in games or in practices.

The Big Guns, as will always be the case, will need to do their part, too, coming up in the big moments like they have so many times before. The series begins Wednesday night in Edmonton.

This year, it’s time to bring Lord Stanley’s Mug home.