Grizzled Oilers' comebacks prove age is just a number
Incredible skill is the force behind the Oilers' string of thrilling comeback wins. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the greatest postseason performers of their generation.
Age and experience permit their teammates not to panic. Edmonton played with poise while coming from behind to eliminate the Kings for a fourth straight year and stun the Golden Knights in the Round 2 opener. This silvery Stanley Cup contender keeps trailing on the scoreboard, then triumphing late.
Edmonton's one of the oldest squads of the salary-cap era. Over the past 20 years, just one NHL team dressed as many skaters in their 30s for the bulk of the schedule. Eleven thirtysomething members of the 2025 Oilers and 2009 Devils played at least 60 games in those regular seasons, per Stathead.
The playoff lineup is even grayer: Twelve of the 19 Oilers (eight forwards, three defensemen, goalie Calvin Pickard) who faced off with Vegas in Game 1 are aged 30 and up. Secondary offense from wily vets fueled the club's latest rally.
Edmonton dug out of a 2-0 hole Tuesday when John Klingberg's outlet feed and touches from Draisaitl and McDavid set up Corey Perry's composed finish at the Vegas crease. Another sharp passing sequence between Klingberg, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evander Kane led to Zach Hyman's clutch winner, which he rang in off the post with three minutes left. Connor Brown grabbed a blocked shot and juked Shea Theodore ahead of his brilliant insurance tally.
The Oilers' fifth consecutive comeback win established a new playoff record. Their two multi-goal comebacks, achieved in Game 4 against Los Angeles and Game 1 in Vegas, are more than any team managed in the entire 2023 or 2024 postseasons.
Resilience is a championship trait, as theScore's John Matisz noted in his recent mailbag. Numerous cap-era Cup winners, including the 2022 Avalanche and '23 Golden Knights, routinely bounced back from deficits and averaged more than two comeback wins per round. Conceding the first goal never alarmed them.
These Oilers have been outscored 20-13 through 40 minutes of games, but they're up 17-6 in third periods. Older forwards scored most of those late goals: Brown has three; Hyman and Mattias Janmark have two; and Kane, Nugent-Hopkins, Perry, and Viktor Arvidsson added one apiece. So far, Edmonton's controlled the action when the puck-moving Klingberg and stabilizing defender Brett Kulak are on the ice.
The 18 Oilers skaters in the Game 1 lineup boast a collective 1,258 games of postseason experience. The ageless Perry tops all active players with 222 career appearances.
Vegas countered with 1,240 games of experience, and that was with Alex Pietrangelo (145 games) sidelined by an illness. Cagey captain Mark Stone redirected a power-play goal and promptly followed that up with a patient snipe. The Golden Knights have the skill and veteran savvy to counterpunch in Game 2.
The Oilers are building momentum, though. With a brisk series triumph, they'd be able to celebrate Perry's 40th birthday on May 16 - the night of a potential Game 6 - in style.
Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.