TYCHKOWSKI: Finally, Edmonton Oilers get even for Miracle on Manchester

Just when it looked like Edmonton fans were about to suffer their most soul-crushing defeat in a very long time, their team pulls this

Apr 23, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers celebrate the goal scored by left wing Evander Kane (91) against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez /USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

They owed them that one.

It took 41 years, but the Edmonton Oilers finally got even for the Miracle on Manchester.

Sunday’s wild resurrection wasn’t quite as spectacular as the Los Angeles Kings roaring back from 5-0 down in the third period to hand Edmonton a defeat it would never recover from in 1982, but it saved the season, so it’s close enough.

Down 2-1 in the series and 3-0 on the scoreboard after 20 hard-to-watch minutes of Game 4, the shellshocked Oilers were hanging from the edge of a cliff — with the weight of a hopeless situation all but guaranteeing an unthinkable fall.

Whatever they saw when they looked into the darkness must have scared the hell out of them because the urgency and firepower that had been missing in the first period led their charge in the second.

Rising from the dead with three-straight goals to tie it, pulling the game from the fire again at 16:58 of the third period and then closing the deal in overtime is some cold-blooded stuff.

The Kings had the game and the series in a stranglehold. It was over. Just when it looked like Edmonton fans were about to suffer their most soul-crushing defeat in a very long time, their team pulls this.

“It says a lot,” said Leon Draisaitl, who scored his fourth and fifth goals of the series in a win that shifted the landscape more dramatically than a California earthquake.

“I think we showed tonight that we love playing for each other and we are a very, very resilient group and we’re not going to quit.

“Ever. No matter what.”

This was a special team during the regular season stretch drive and was again when they needed it most on Sunday.

“We don’t quit, we don’t give up,” reiterated Kane. “We know we have the people in here to do it. Woody (Jay Woodcroft) said ‘keep hammering at the rock’ and it finally cracked for us.”

Hands up if you thought that with the Oilers bleeding out at the first intermission and their survival resting on the rusty shoulders of Jack Campbell, everything was going to be OK. But he comes in off the bench and stops 27 of 28 shots to keep Los Angeles from putting Edmonton away for good.

It was that kind of night.

“He hadn’t played in a little bit, so coming in cold in the middle of a playoff game down 3-0 can be tough,” said Kane. “But he’s a veteran guy who’s been around the league a long time. A great performance.”

According to most popular theories, a win of this style and magnitude can catapult a team a great distance. It bonds a group even tighter and creates a feeling of invincibility in a dressing room. It’s the kind of stuff that deep playoff teams look back on as a turning point in their run.

If Edmonton wins the series and goes on to do big things this spring, Sunday night will go down in Oilers lore forever. If things go the other way, it will all be for nothing and it will all be forgotten by the time they clean out their lockers.

History will decide the ultimate significance of what just happened, but saving the season is good enough for now.

Apr 23, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) celebrates his goal scored against the Los Angeles Kings with center Leon Draisaitl (29) and center Ryan McLeod (71) during overtime in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Photo by Gary A. Vasquez /USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Overtime hero Zach Hyman didn’t even hesitate when calling his winner at 10:39 the biggest goal of his career.

“In playoff hockey you have a short period of time to make an impact or else you’re not going to be playing for long,” he said, adding the longer this goes, the tighter things are going to get.

“Three overtime games and the other one (4-2 with an empty netter). Two good teams, two good power plays. It’s what was to be expected going in; everyone thought this was going to be a tough series. Now it’s a best of three.”

What to expect from Game 5 Tuesday at Rogers Place is anyone’s guess. But in a battle this close, the only thing we know for certain is that it’s a long way from over.

“We’ve prepared for a long series,” said Woodcroft. “We’re bunkered in for a long series. We got a big win. It’s a best of three now.”

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