Perry sparking Oilers in latest Cup Final appearance against Panthers

EDMONTON -- Corey Perry had seen enough.

The Edmonton Oilers forward was sitting on the bench with 30 seconds remaining in the first period, he and his teammates trailing the Florida Panthers 3-0. At that moment, the veteran forward decided to share some words of wisdom with his teammates in the first intermission.

"Well, it wasn't wisdom. It was just honesty," said Perry of his speech, which helped motivate the Oilers to a 5-4 overtime win against the Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday. "I mean, we just had to realize where we were at the moment and just kind of look ourselves in the mirror and how we were playing, what we were doing. It's pretty much all it was."

Sometimes it doesn't have to be much. Sometimes, it's about the right words and the right person saying them, and that's what the Oilers got with Perry on Thursday. Now they will look to take the lead in the series when they play the Panthers in Game 5 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).

The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2.

This is Perry's fifth Stanley Cup Final appearance in the past six seasons. Getting here is tough enough, but he knows winning the Stanley Cup is that much more challenging. He's done it once, in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks, but he definitely wants another. Perry knows the Oilers, who are in their second consecutive Cup Final after losing to the Panthers in seven games last year, have what it takes to win their first Cup since 1990.

He's expecting a big response, from the crowd and the Oilers, on Saturday.

"I mean, everybody knows what the crowd's going to be like, Saturday night in Alberta, it's going to be exciting. But I think I've talked about this a lot: We're mature and I think after that first period last night it showed we're a mature hockey team," Perry said. "I don't expect anything else."

The 40-year-old is playing a big part in Edmonton's playoff push this year, too. Perry has 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in 20 games and was on a five-game point streak (four goals, two assists) that ended on Thursday. His nine goals are second on the Oilers to Leon Draisaitl with 11.

Perry has 140 points (63 goals, 77 assists) in 235 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, the fourth-most postseason games played in NHL history (Chris Chelios leads with 266). He's the 17th player under the 16-team playoff format (introduced in 1980) and the first since Petr Sykora in 2012 to play in six or more Final series.

He's been here, done this plenty, so for the Oilers, Perry's words are as valuable as his game.

"Where is he, almost 10 goals now? That's crazy," Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "He's been so valuable for us. He's a leader and he knows exactly when to step in there. He doesn't do it all the time but when he does, it's always great and gets everybody's attention. I mean, it was good from him last night again, both on the ice and in the locker room. It's what we expect out of him. He's getting up there, but he's still got it."

Perry hoped he'd still be playing at 40 but he couldn't foresee that on June 19, 2019, when the Ducks bought out the final two years of the eight-year contract he signed with them on March 18, 2013. Perry was the No. 28 pick by Anaheim in the 2003 NHL Draft and spent his whole career (14 seasons) with them to that point.

"I was there in Anaheim when they bought him out and at that point, where does the career go?" Oilers forward Adam Henrique said. "Do you go somewhere for a little bit and retire? Or do you just keep (going)? He's a guy that kept playing and found roles on winning teams and has been in so many playoff games the last five years, to (be in) five finals is impressive.

"I think he just loves to compete, loves to play and loves to be around the guys and he goes out there and leads by example. He won't back down from anybody, he goes to the hard areas, he does all the right things. He's always here early, he's in the gym. He does everything he needs to do to be ready. He's got to be one of the fiercest competitors in the game. That's how he's played his whole career."

Perry wants to win the Cup again not just for himself, but for his 7-year-old son Griffin, who joined him at his pod for the Stanley Cup Final Media Day on June 3. Perry's lone Cup win came 10 years before Griffin was born, so sharing this experience with him makes it that much more special.

"It's not his first one but it's one that he is fully invested. He knows what's going on, he's at that age where he knows the ins and outs of hockey, especially now that he's playing and is part of it," Perry said. "You call him after the game, and he's just as riled up as you are and just as happy as you are. It's been a lot of fun, it's been exciting."

The fun continues for Perry, who said on June 3 that he's already planning to play in the NHL next season. He signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with Edmonton on July 1 and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but that can wait. Right now, it's about winning the Cup again, and Perry's shown he knows when to speak up and when to let his game do the talking.

"He carries a lot of weight with all the experience he has and his age," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Everyone has a lot of respect for him, the coaching staff has a lot of respect for him. So, when those guys do speak, say their thoughts, everyone has a lot of respect for that and toes the line. What else can you do, because what he says has a lot of meaning."