The way this series has flipped is almost as stunning. Sergei Bobrovsky stole Game 1 for Florida with a 32-save shutout, and the Panthers’ victory in Game 2 was a dominant performance that showcased their ability to limit Edmonton’s superstars and grind out a victory. The Oilers launched an ultimately fruitless rally in Game 3, but when they faced the possibility of being swept on home ice in Game 4, Connor McDavid decided Edmonton wasn’t finished as the Oilers turned in an eight-goal outburst.

McDavid’s back-to-back four-point games in Games 4 and 5 drew the Oilers back from the brink, and perhaps the most stunning thing about Edmonton’s 5-1 win in Game 6 was that McDavid didn’t record a point — and the Oilers didn’t need him to.

“There’s been a lot of tough times and probably highlighted with this series, being down 3-0 and a lot of people saying, ‘They don’t have a chance,’” Edmonton Coach Kris Knoblauch said Sunday. “I don’t think there was ever a moment, in that dressing room, that they didn’t think they had a chance.”

The most recent Game 7 in the finals came in 2019, when the visiting St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins for their only Stanley Cup title.

Bobrovsky has proved fallible in recent days, while Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner has elevated his game at the most critical moments. After the Oilers fell behind 3-0 in the series, Skinner has stopped 81 of 86 shots — while Bobrovsky has stopped just 46 of 58.

Win or lose, McDavid has played himself into being a favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Captain Aleksander Barkov did his best to lift Florida in Game 6, just as Matthew Tkachuk did in Game 5, but their solo efforts weren’t enough.

So it all comes down to Game 7. Momentum favors the Oilers, but the Panthers will be on home ice. After a back-and-forth first six games, Game 7 looks like a coin flip. Will Edmonton claim the Cup for the sixth time but the first since 1990 — when the Panthers didn’t exist — and become the first champion from Canada since Montreal in 1993? Or will Florida secure its breakthrough first title at last?

“It comes down to that first shift, your first period. Come out [and] play as fast as we possibly can start the game because we know that’s what makes us successful,” Tkachuk said. “So I’d say we’re more excited for that part. To come out and play in front of our own fan base, who is so crucial for us — we know that they’ve been waiting for this game. It’s probably the biggest NHL game in however many years, and so our fans are jacked up for it.”

In the second round, Edmonton won Game 6 at home and Game 7 in Vancouver, meaning the Oilers are 5-0 in elimination games this postseason. Game 7 of the finals is a different beast, but the Oilers are prepared to draw on that experience.

“Obviously it’s not your ordinary game,” McDavid said. “Everybody understands that. But you’ve got to make it as ordinary as possible in your head. I think part of that is just sticking to your routine. Our room has done a great job of being at our best in these big moments, and I would expect no different [Monday].”

Growing up — whether it was mini sticks in the basement, skating on the backyard rink or roller hockey in the driveway — all hockey-playing kids pretend they’re scoring the winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. A winner in Game 1 or Game 4 or even Game 6 isn’t enough; Game 7 stands alone as a career-defining moment.

On Monday, one player will have that opportunity on the NHL’s biggest stage.

“The puck drops, and momentum is changed over the course of the game,” Florida Coach Paul Maurice said. “More so even true with Game 7s, the finality of it. Nobody’s practicing; there’s no video tomorrow. It’s this kind of clean slate because both teams have fought real hard to get to the very end.”