Corey Perry Explains His Speech That Kickstarted Oilers' Miraculous Game 4 Win

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was a wild one with the Edmonton Oilers stunning the South Florida crowd and overcoming a 3-0 Florida Panthers lead after the first period to win 5-4 in overtime.

That means the series is even at 2-2 as things shift back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday.

But just how did the Oilers overcome such a disastrous first period that saw starting netminder Stuart Skinner get the hook in favor of backup Calvin Pickard?

Well, one astute — and ruggedly handsome — writer guessed that it would take some kind of speech, only he thought it would come courtesy of No. 97, Oilers captain Connor McDavid.

Close, but no cigar on that one. It turns out that there was a rallying speech between periods — barely between periods — only it came courtesy of the most experienced player in the Edmonton locker room, Corey Perry.

According to Sportsnet, with 30 seconds left before the team walked out to the rink to start the second period, Perry delivered a speech that is already being compared to a speech that Connor McDavid gave during last year's Stanley Cup Final that lit a fire under the team.

"It wasn’t wisdom. It was just honesty," Perry said on Friday. "I mean, 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."

Perry also said that he has a little additional inspiration to get the job done this time around and hoist the Stanley Cup again after winning with the Ducks back in 2007: his seven-year-old son.

"He knows everybody in the league. He knows what positions they play, who’s the leading scorer. He’s watching the highlights every single morning and playing mini sticks at the same time before school," Perry said. "This is why I’m still playing — for him to have an opportunity to feel and touch the Stanley Cup. It’s something that I want to give him."

We'll see if the Oilers come out hot on the heels of Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner in Game 4 — which earned him the NHL record for the most overtime game-winners in a single postseason with four — in Game 5.

One thing is for sure: Rogers Place will be rocking.