The Edmonton Oilers are just where they need to be after the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final. After losing Game 2 at home, the Oilers needed to get a win in South Florida if they were going to regain home ice advantage against the Florida Panthers.

After a blowout loss in Game 3, the Oilers rolled up their sleeves and overcame a 3-0 deficit before they won Game 4 in overtime. High-scoring Leon Draisaitl scored his fourth overtime goal of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs and giving the Oilers a 5-4 victory and squaring the series at 2-2.

The Oilers have been on a mission since losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season to the Panthers. The only thing that has been motivating superstar Connor McDavid and his teammates is getting the opportunity to lift the Stanley Cup at the end of this series.

McDavid has come across as a relatively quiet superstar for the majority of his career. However, when cameras followed him and the Oilers in last year's final series, he motivated his teammates with an emotional speech. The real McDavid was revealed.

The Oilers may or may not make it all the way to their goal, but there will be no giving up or capitulation. “We all understand that it’s never over with this group,” McDavid said.

Expectations have been high for the Oilers

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Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates scoring with center Leon Draisaitl (29) during the second period against the Florida Panthers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Edmonton is a team with a remarkable legacy in the NHL. The Oilers won five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990, and superstar Wayne Gretzky was a part of four of those teams. While it has been 35 years since the team's last Stanley Cup, the pressure has been on McDavid throughout the majority of his career to return the team to a championship level.

The one-two punch of McDavid and Draisaitl have played a huge role in getting the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row, but they have gotten plenty of help from teammates Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Corey Perry, Evander Kane and Jake Wallman. Additionally, the Oilers have been depending on the goaltending duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

The Panthers knocked Skinner out of the net in Games 3 and 4, and Pickard backstopped the team to the overtime triumph Thursday night. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has not announced his starting goaltender in Saturday night's pivotal fifth game, but it would not be a surprise if Pickard was in net.

The Oilers will have home-ice advantage, but it will be up to McDavid, Draisaitl and their supporting cast to make it pay off with a victory.