Leon Draisaitl praised Edmonton Oilers fans after the team's Game 6 Stanley Cup Final victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday.

"It means the world to us," Drasaitl said of getting fans a win in Edmonton's last home game of the season. "I've been here for a long time and been through some pretty bad years. Seemingly, the people that were there tonight, they showed up every night and still showed up at games and supported us. So, to give them that is really special. Hopefully, we can finish the job for them."

The Oilers' latest win forces a Game 7 after they trailed 3-0 in the series. While Draisaitl recognized that it's been an incredible run, he added that he knows the next victory will be the most difficult.

"It's been a helluva story so far, but at the end of the day, we play to win," Draisaitl said. "This is gonna be the hardest game for us. They're gonna come out hard, they're gonna play at home. We have to bring our game again.

"I'm just really proud of the way we gave ourselves a chance. That's what it's all about. By no means is this gonna be easy, a walk in the park now."

Draisaitl assisted on the opening goal in Game 6. After being critical of his play in recent contests, the star forward said postgame Friday that he was relieved to make an offensive impact.

"I'm an offensive guy," Draisaitl said. "Confidence comes from putting up numbers sometimes, that's just the way it is. Do I have other things I'm good at? Yeah, of course. But sometimes it's nice to make a play and get rewarded for it. You can ask any offensive player, that's just the way you feel."

Game 7 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET. The Oilers are looking for the team's first Stanley Cup since 1990 and sixth in franchise history.

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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he wouldn't have taken the risk of challenging Aleksander Barkov's goal that the Edmonton Oilers got wiped off the board Friday night had the situation been reversed.

However, Maurice acknowledged that Sam Reinhart might have been offside on Barkov's tally, which would've cut the Oilers' lead to 2-1 mere seconds after Edmonton took a two-goal lead. The Pacific Division squad ultimately won 5-1 to force Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"I have no idea. It may well have been offside," Maurice told the media postgame, including TSN. "The linesperson informed me that it was the last clip that they got where they made the decision that it shows it's offside. I don't have those. So I was upset after the call, based on what I see at my feet and what my video person looks at."

Maurice explained he wouldn't have challenged the call had the script been flipped because nothing he viewed showed it as being definitive at that moment. A failed challenge results in a two-minute minor against the team that attempts to overturn it.

"There was no way I would have challenged that if (the situation were) reversed," he said. "There was no way I thought you could conclusively say that was offside. I don't know what (angles) the Oilers get. I don't know what the league gets. I just know that (if) I had to challenge that based on what I saw, I would not have challenged."

The Panthers bench boss also joked that he and his staff would analyze the footage like a government agency.

"I'm not saying it's not offside," Maurice said. "We'll get still frames, we'll bring in the CIA, we'll figure it out. But in the 30 seconds that I would've made that call, I would not have challenged."

Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe somewhat echoed Maurice's sentiments, pointing out that it was the kind of call needing numerous looks to determine.

"I'm sure it's the right call if they're watching a million replays," Verhaeghe said, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

But Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said he didn't think the play "was that close," per Sportsnet.

"In my mind, it was definitely offside," he added. "I guess you never know. But it was something we wanted to challenge almost immediately when we saw it."

Had it counted, Barkov's goal would've come 10 seconds after Adam Henrique gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead 46 seconds into the second period.

The Panthers captain scored later, cutting the Oilers' lead to 3-1 on a wrist shot less than 90 seconds into the third period. But Edmonton's Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse buried empty-netters to seal Edmonton's victory.

Game 7 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday in Sunrise, Florida.

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The Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Friday's Game 6 to force a winner-take-all finale for the 2024 Stanley Cup.

Warren Foegele, Adam Henrique, and Zach Hyman combined to give the Oilers a 3-0 advantage entering the third period. Aleksander Barkov scored early in the final frame to give the Panthers hope before Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse put the contest away with empty-netters.

The Panthers had a goal called back in the second period after an offside challenge.

Connor McDavid was held without a point for the first time since Game 1 of the series. He also failed to record a shot on goal for the first time since Game 1 of the second round.

It's the first time in McDavid's career that the Oilers have won without him recording a point or shot in the contest.

Stuart Skinner made 20 saves in the contest, while Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 19 shots.

Skinner moves to 10-0 in Games 4-7 this postseason with a .940 save percentage.

The Oilers are the third team in Cup Final history to extend a series to seven games after facing a 3-0 deficit and the first since 1945. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to complete a reverse sweep in the Final.

"Honestly, we're just having fun," McDavid told Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas. "We really believe, we really believe in each other, we believe in this group. And we're having fun with it."

A Game 7 will decide the Stanley Cup winner for the first time since the St. Louis Blues were victorious in 2019.

Game 7 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Florida. Edmonton is aiming for its sixth Stanley Cup and first since 1990, while the Panthers will be looking to claim their first title in franchise history.

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The Florida Panthers thought they'd gotten one back 10 seconds after the Edmonton Oilers took a 2-0 lead in the opening minute of the second period in Friday's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

However, the Oilers challenged Aleksander Barkov's goal due to Sam Reinhart potentially going offside, and the tally was overturned on review.

Adam Henrique gave Edmonton a two-goal advantage 46 seconds into the second frame.

The Oilers won 5-1 to force Game 7 on Monday night in Sunrise.

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