Pisani propels Oilers to game six

They’re still there! Try as Carolina might, the Edmonton Oilers refuse to die off and go away.

In another entertaining game, the Oilers took game five with a 4-3 thrilling OT victory and denied the Hurricane the opportunity to collect the Stanley Cup on home ice, forcing a game six Saturday in Edmonton. In the end, the Cup stayed in it's case, packed up and ready to hit the road for Northern Alberta and game six on Saturday, if the Oilers have it's way it will be back in Carolina for game seven next week!

With their backs to the wall in game five, the Oilers came out determined with a quick goal in the first minute of play setting the tone and pace for the next fifty nine minutes plus OT.

At times it appeared that history would again haunt the Oilers, as they continued to struggle on the power play and gave the Hurricanes too many opportunities with the man advantage to put the game and the series away. All three of the Hurricane goals came on the power play, a curse of the series that haunts the Oilers, as untimely penalties threaten to be their undoing game in and game out.

But with a will to survive they carried on, led once again by Jussi Markkenen who has done everything he can to keep his team mates in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Markkenen made a number of heart stopping saves to keep the Hurricanes from pulling away, his play erasing most doubts in Oiler land about having a chance to win without Dwayne Roloson.

Once again the Oilers have denied the many “experts” who predicted that their run would come to an end, in fact winning the goal in Over time with a short handed goal was a definitive finger in the eye to the doubters about this Oiler team.

It was only fitting that Fernando Pisani would score the winning goal (his second goal of the game), a break away shot on the penalty kill, shocking the Hurricanes and their fans and delighting Oiler fans setting them up for another wild and passionate affair back at the Rexall Centre.

Wednesday nights pace was at times amazing as the teams traded hits, shots and goals and stride for stride roared down the ice time and again, in the highly entertaining game. The speed of the game left many anxiously awaiting the next installment of “how the Oil flows.”

Mr. Lorieau, warm up your singing voice, you have one more night of work ahead!

The above posting first appeared on my HockeyNation blog, check it out for more hockey information.