Edmonton Oilers look to end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought

The Edmonton Oilers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals where they will try to end Canada’s 31-year cup drought.

The Oilers punched their ticket to the NHL’s championship series with a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final Sunday night.

It’s hard to believe the Oilers would be in this position after how the season began.

Going into the season, the Oilers had high expectations but stumbled out of the gate, dropping to the bottom of the standings and firing their coach in November.

“It means a lot. There were a lot of painful years we’ve gone through and a lot of learning along the way,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl after the game.

“To be able to do it at home for this city and these fans and for ourselves as well, it’s great. It’s a great feeling. That being said, we have bigger dreams and goals right now.”

This will be the Oilers’ first appearance in the Cup final in 18 years, when they lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Florida Panthers are back in the final for a second straight year after losing the championship in five games last year to Vegas.

Both teams will get some time to rest before logging a lot of air-miles during the series.

At 4,089 kilometres between Edmonton and Sunrise, it’s the longest travel distance in Stanley Cup history.

The Stanley Cup Finals begins Saturday with Game 1 and 2 in Sunrise, Florida. The series shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 and 4 on June 13 and June 15.

-With files from the Canadian Press.