Keith inspires Oilers ahead of must-win Game 4 in Cup Final | NHL.com

EDMONTON — Duncan Keith was hanging out in the Edmonton Oilers kitchen Friday when he told former teammate Brett Kulak a story that can provide a little inspiration now.

The Oilers trail the Florida Panthers 3-0 entering Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Of the 210 previous teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-7 series, four came back to win it. One did it in the Cup Final: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings.

Keith played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2005-21, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, before finishing his career with the Oilers in 2021-22.

In the Western Conference First Round in 2011, the Blackhawks came back from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks. They lost 2-1 in overtime when Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows knocked down a clearing attempt by Blackhawks defenseman Chris Campoli and scored.

“He said [the Blackhawks] had all the momentum, and it was just that mistake that cost them in the end,” Kulak said. “He said, ‘You know what? We started building, we got back in the series and we made a good series of it.’ He believes they could have easily moved on had the bounce gone their way, so that’s encouraging to hear that from someone who’s been through it.”

Coach Kris Knoblauch brought up Keith’s story during his press conference before the Oilers morning skate Saturday.

“You never know,” Knoblauch said. “When you have a good team, a lot of good players who believe, things can happen. But a lot of things have to work out. You have to get some bounces, have to make some plays, and you need everybody to contribute. I think we can do that.”

The Oilers will take inspiration wherever they can get it.

Kulak was skating around before practice Friday when assistant Mark Stuart dropped a little nugget.

“He said, ‘I was up 3-0 once,’ and I dug a little deeper on the story,” Kulak said. Stuart played for the Boston Bruins in 2010, when they blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

“It’s nice having guys around who have been on both sides of that situation,” Kulak said.