Sometimes, when a team needs a jump, they look to guidance from either a coach or a captain to help them turn things around.
Sometimes, they just need a verbal kick in the pants.

That&#8217;s apparently what happened during the first intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The <a href="https://oilersnation.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a> found themselves trailing 3-0 for the second game in a row, and it looked like they were on their way<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/an-unlikely-hero-edmonton-oilers-drag-florida-panthers-back-to-alberta"> to another debilitating loss</a> to the Florida Panthers and moving within one game of their season being finished.
Enter Corey Perry.
The veteran forward, who joined the team last season and was a key presence in getting them to the Cup Final in 2024, reportedly spoke up in the locker room during the break, letting his teammates know that they need to be better if they want to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.
The rallying cry paid off as the Oilers roared back with four unanswered goals to take the lead. Though the Panthers bounced back to tie the game to force overtime, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl managed to play the hero, scoring his second game-winning goal in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-beat-florida-panthers-game-4-tie-stanley-cup-final">series to give Edmonton a 5-4 win</a>, sending the series back to Alberta tied 2-2.
Defenceman Jake Walman admitted there was a sense of urgency from the leadership group after <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-20-0-down-bad-oilers-shake-it-off-in-game-4-win-over-panthers">falling into the three-goal hole</a> once again, especially from Perry.
<blockquote>&#8220;Well, I think we learned a lot from the first game,&#8221; Walman said. &#8220;Kind of in a similar position and we unravelled in the first game. What I noticed was just a bunch of leaders we have in our room. [Perry] gave us a little speech and a couple of other guys spoke up and just the kind of quiet confidence we have in our room, even down 3-0.&#8221;</blockquote>
After the game, Drasaitl was asked about what Perry said to the team and the type of impact it made on the group.
<blockquote>“I’m not going to share exactly what he said,&#8221; Draisaitl said. &#8220;But the message is that he’s been in these moments, he’s not a guy that speaks up or yells at guys all the time. That’s not his character, so you know when a guy like that with that many games, that much experience, he’s won everything there is to win — he knows how to win when he speaks up, you listen, and it grabs your attention.&#8221;</blockquote>
The media also questioned Perry on what type of wisdom <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-game-4-tactical-review">was bestowed on the team</a> that sparked the comeback.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
&quot;It wasn&#39;t wisdom. It was just honesty, just had to realize where we were in the moment, look ourselves in the mirror &amp; how we were playing.&quot;
Corey Perry on his speech in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a> locker room during the first intermission.<a href="https://twitter.com/Enterprise?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Enterprise</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> <a href="https://t.co/KZjMmy5KkW">pic.twitter.com/KZjMmy5KkW</a>
&mdash; Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1933535848659890575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote>&#8220;Well, it wasn&#8217;t wisdom,&#8221; Perry said. &#8220;It was just honesty. Just had to realize where we were in the moment, look ourselves in the mirror, and at how we were playing.&#8221;</blockquote>
The Peterborough, Ontario native might not have registered a point in the victory on Thursday night, but it was clear that he had a huge impact on the game.
While Perry does have a championship on his resume, winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, he&#8217;s had his share of heartbreak. Along with disappointing exits with some great teams in Anaheim, the 2011 Hart Trophy winner became the first player in league history to lose in three straight Cup Finals for three different teams &#8211; losing with the Dallas Stars (2020), Montreal Canadiens (2021) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2022) &#8211; before falling with the Oilers last spring.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch recognized how important Perry is to the team, both on and off the ice.
<blockquote>&#8220;He carries a lot of weight with all the experience he has and his age. Everyone has a lot of respect for him. The coaching staff has a lot of respect for him. So, when those guys do speak and say their thoughts, everyone has a lot of respect for that and it toes the line. What else can you do? Because what he says has a lot of meaning.&#8221;</blockquote>
The win gives the Oilers a chance to take back home-ice advantage as the series shifts back to Edmonton on <a href="https://oilersnation.com/schedule">Saturday night for Game 5</a>. Puck drop is scheduled for a little after 6 p.m. MT.

Sometimes, when a team needs a jump, they look to guidance from either a coach or a captain to help them turn things around.

Sometimes, they just need a verbal kick in the pants.



That's apparently what happened during the first intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The <a href="https://oilersnation.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a> found themselves trailing 3-0 for the second game in a row, and it looked like they were on their way<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/an-unlikely-hero-edmonton-oilers-drag-florida-panthers-back-to-alberta"> to another debilitating loss</a> to the Florida Panthers and moving within one game of their season being finished.

Enter Corey Perry.

The veteran forward, who joined the team last season and was a key presence in getting them to the Cup Final in 2024, reportedly spoke up in the locker room during the break, letting his teammates know that they need to be better if they want to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.

The rallying cry paid off as the Oilers roared back with four unanswered goals to take the lead. Though the Panthers bounced back to tie the game to force overtime, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl managed to play the hero, scoring his second game-winning goal in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-beat-florida-panthers-game-4-tie-stanley-cup-final">series to give Edmonton a 5-4 win</a>, sending the series back to Alberta tied 2-2.

Defenceman Jake Walman admitted there was a sense of urgency from the leadership group after <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-20-0-down-bad-oilers-shake-it-off-in-game-4-win-over-panthers">falling into the three-goal hole</a> once again, especially from Perry.
<blockquote>"Well, I think we learned a lot from the first game," Walman said. "Kind of in a similar position and we unravelled in the first game. What I noticed was just a bunch of leaders we have in our room. [Perry] gave us a little speech and a couple of other guys spoke up and just the kind of quiet confidence we have in our room, even down 3-0."</blockquote>
After the game, Drasaitl was asked about what Perry said to the team and the type of impact it made on the group.
<blockquote>“I’m not going to share exactly what he said," Draisaitl said. "But the message is that he’s been in these moments, he’s not a guy that speaks up or yells at guys all the time. That’s not his character, so you know when a guy like that with that many games, that much experience, he’s won everything there is to win — he knows how to win when he speaks up, you listen, and it grabs your attention."</blockquote>
The media also questioned Perry on what type of wisdom <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-game-4-tactical-review">was bestowed on the team</a> that sparked the comeback.

https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1933535848659890575
<blockquote>"Well, it wasn't wisdom," Perry said. "It was just honesty. Just had to realize where we were in the moment, look ourselves in the mirror, and at how we were playing."</blockquote>
The Peterborough, Ontario native might not have registered a point in the victory on Thursday night, but it was clear that he had a huge impact on the game.

While Perry does have a championship on his resume, winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, he's had his share of heartbreak. Along with disappointing exits with some great teams in Anaheim, the 2011 Hart Trophy winner became the first player in league history to lose in three straight Cup Finals for three different teams - losing with the Dallas Stars (2020), Montreal Canadiens (2021) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2022) - before falling with the Oilers last spring.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch recognized how important Perry is to the team, both on and off the ice.
<blockquote>"He carries a lot of weight with all the experience he has and his age. Everyone has a lot of respect for him. The coaching staff has a lot of respect for him. So, when those guys do speak and say their thoughts, everyone has a lot of respect for that and it toes the line. What else can you do? Because what he says has a lot of meaning."</blockquote>
The win gives the Oilers a chance to take back home-ice advantage as the series shifts back to Edmonton on <a href="https://oilersnation.com/schedule">Saturday night for Game 5</a>. Puck drop is scheduled for a little after 6 p.m. MT.

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