Edmonton Oilers 10 Greatest Games

December 30, 1981 vs. Philadelphia

Game 1 was a role reversal from the previous season when Billy Smith had shut Edmonton on the road in one of the great playoff goaltending performances of all time. This time, it was Grant Fuhr pitching a shutout for Edmonton in a 1-0 win at the Nassau Coliseum.

In the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals, the Islanders had swept the Oilers in four straight games. The teams met again in 1984, with the Islanders seeking their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

For the third straight year, the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers finished the regular season with the two best records in the NHL. (In 1984–85, the Flyers were first in NHL standings and the Oilers second; in both 1985–86 and 1986–87, the positions were reversed.) While the Oilers' success came from their vaunted offense, the Flyers relied on grit, defensive play, and solid goaltending from Vezina Trophy winner Ron Hextall.

The Presidents' Trophy winning Calgary Flames had home ice advantage during the playoffs thanks in part to Edmonton's struggles without Wayne Gretzky, who missed 16 games due to injury. The Oilers, who had won the Cup in three of the previous four seasons, were still thought to have a good chance at repeating with Gretzky's return. The clash between the Flames and Oilers in the Smythe Division Final was highly anticipated.

It was contested by the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. This was a rematch of the 1988 Finals, albeit with the notable absence of Wayne Gretzky who was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two rivals with Edmonton winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 1988 Smythe Division Finals, which Edmonton won in a four-game sweep. These teams did not meet again in the playoffs until 2022.

Todd Marchant scored one of the most iconic goals for the Edmonton Oilers in their Stanely Cup Playoff history. One that is still revered around these parts today. It was Game 7 of the 1997 Western Conference Quarterfinals, and Marchant, then a 23-year-old forward in just his third full NHL season, scored the series-clinching goal at 12:26 of overtime to eliminate the Dallas Stars. Marchant took a pass from Doug Weight, blew past Stars defenseman Grant Ledyard, who stumbled as he tried to turn back, and beat goalie Andy Moog blocker side from in close to give the Oilers a 4-3 win.

The first Stanley Cup Finals since 2004 after a lockout canceled the entirety of the 2004–05 season, it was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers entered the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. In the first round, they shockingly upset the Presidents' Trophy winner Detroit Red Wings in six games. They then beat the fifth-seeded San Jose Sharks in six games in the second round after trailing two games to none. In the Western Conference Final, the Oilers beat the sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.