The Edmonton Oilers are on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. They took out the Dallas Stars on Sunday night, sending Connor McDavid to the biggest series of his career. They are taking on the Florida Panthers, who are New Jersey Devils fans best friends after taking out the New York Rangers. It should be a fun Final.
To get there, the Edmonton Oilers did something every surprising. They barely shot the puck on Jake Oettinger and the Dallas Stars. They scored two goals in the first period, and they played defense for the rest of the game. They ended the game with just 10 shots on goal.
It reminded us of that famous closeout game the Devils had on the Toronto Maple Leafs, ironically also in Game 6 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals to send a team to the Stanley Cup. The Devils held the Leafs to just six shots on goal, the modern record for fewest shots in a game. It's insane it came in a game where he Maple Leafs' season was on the line, and they were two games away from a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
On Sunday, the Oilers had just 10 shots on goal. Unlike the Leafs in 2000, the Oilers won the game. That hasn't been done in a playoff game since the Devils did it way back in 1990.
The #LetsGoOilers currently have 10 shots on goal and lead 2-1 in the 3rd
— ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) June 3, 2024
For those curious, the lowest shot total in a playoff win in NHL history is in fact 10 (Devils 2-1 over Caps in 1990, Hawks 1-0 over Kings in 1974)@ESPNStatsInfo
We also have to call out this amazing headline by the Washington Post. It's hard to beat a DC reporting saying "DEVILS ECONOMIZE, LEAVE CAPITALS IN RECESSION."
So, the Devils are on the winning side of both the lowest shots for a win in a playoff game and the team that caused the lowest shots against in a loss. Now, they share that space with the Oilers.