The NBA Finals were anti-climactic, and the Stanley Cup finals were heading in that direction. The Florida Panthers looked like they were on the cusp of sweeping the Edmonton Oilers. They were up 3-0 in the series. One more win and the cup remains in America—this time taking residency at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Yet, this is professional hockey. It’s the most challenging championship to win in sports, and the Edmonton Oilers decided to wake up, which has led to an epic collapse for the Panthers, one that could end up being the biggest choke in professional sports since the New York Yankees lost the 2004 American League Championship Series after also being up 3-0.
The Panthers have gone from being one win away from the greatest moment in franchise history to (potentially) one loss away from one of the biggest chokes in sports history.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 22, 2024
The ferocious Panthers are now little puddy cats, and the elite goaltending we saw from Sergei Bobrovsky has evaporated into the ether. In the last three games, he’s allowed three or more goals, two of which ended up being total blowouts for Florida. It’s uncharacteristic for a team known for its vaunted forecheck, relentless puck hunting, and being champions in the battle along the boards to collapse so quickly. The Panthers pestered their opponents for every inch of the ice, shut down teams in the neutral zone, and prevented opposing squads from clearing their own zone, leading to the eventual wearing down that led to Florida’s hallmark third period obliteration of teams.
Nothing has gone right for the Florida Panthers over the last three games.#TimeToHunt | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/IE73MABnSR
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 22, 2024
Oilers after being down 3 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/uIvDF4spM6
— YEGWAVE (@yegwave) June 19, 2024
Like the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Florida beat the Presidents’ Trophy winners in six games, the Panthers' top-six have vanished from the ice. Their power play is 0-11 in the last three games, whereas Edmonton’s power play came alive in game five, and their penalty killing did its job in game six, where they won handily 5-1. Are the Panthers pretenders? It’s what the Vegas Golden Knights chirped about during last year’s final. There could be another reason.
Meet Kait, who has become the Oiler’s unofficial lucky charm. Kait gained Internet fame for flashing her breasts during the Oilers game five win over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final on May 31. Yes, there are clips of the act, but you’ll need to find those on your own; it’s all over Twitter. Just search it. Barstool Sport’s Spittin Chiclets found her, and she interviewed about her moment at Rogers Arena. She also posted a quick video about why she did it. It makes sense—she got drunk, and things just happened. It’s the playoffs (via NY Post):
She first discussed her viral moment on the “Spittin Chiclets” podcast, saying is was spontaneous and unplanned.
“You know, what … I don’t know,” she said, when asked what inspired her to whip her top up.
“The handful of Cheezies that I ate all day and the eight Trulys I drank in the first period was definitely inspiring,” she then added.
She truly has been good luck for the Oilers so far, as they look to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990.
GAMES A LOCK 🔒 pic.twitter.com/PhrSNh3FLU
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) June 21, 2024
Too funny @k8f1989 😂 #Oilin7 pic.twitter.com/GYTPXUp2sm
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) June 17, 2024
The Oilers Flasher Girl Posed For Playboy As Everything Continues To Come Up Edmonton https://t.co/vuCAuQFj2n pic.twitter.com/ol7YV47LBY
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 22, 2024
“A hero can be anyone…” #letsgooilers pic.twitter.com/dSzyml8zEg
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) June 21, 2024
Okay, maybe it's not due to the tao of Kait, but there's also this stat line for the Oilers that might come true again:
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There is good news for Oilers fans this morning. ☀️
— Darren Dupont (@darrendupont) June 14, 2024
They won 4-straight games 7x this season. Every time they won 4 (or more) consecutive games it came after losing 3-straight…#letsgooilers
Either way, a team overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final hasn’t happened since 1945. Someone must lose tonight. Will the Panthers return to their dominating, brutish style of play and win the cup, or will Edmonton seal the deal and take the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993?
HISTORY FOR THE EDMONTON OILERS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Um8SZn0Yec
— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2024
Home teams have lost the last three Stanley Cup Final Game 7s.
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 23, 2024
Can the Florida Panthers snap this streak? #TimeToHunt | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/abHxuIZ6ZI
