Oilers fans flock to downtown Edmonton ahead of Game 4 of Stanley Cup final

It's do-or-die for the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday — and the Stanley Cup is on the line.

Hours before Game 4 puck-drop against the Florida Panthers, nine-year-old Edmontonian Brett Hayes, sporting a No. 97 Connor McDavid jersey, had four simple words for the Oilers' captain.

"Be the greatest player."

The Oilers, down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, have a second chance to win on home ice during the Stanley Cup final. The game starts at 6 p.m. MT, and will be broadcast on CBC.

A Game 4 win would fend off the Panthers from attaining their first ever Stanley Cup for at least one more game.

It would also be the first step toward achieving something only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have accomplished: hoisting Lord Stanley's mug after losing the first three games of the final.

"We've got to get ready for a game, get ready for Game 4 and get a win — that's all we can do," said McDavid on Thursday after Game 3.

Three generations of the Gautreau family travelled overnight to Edmonton from Shediac, a coastal town in southeastern New Brunswick, to root for the Oilers in Game 4.

Daniel Gautreau, a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, has put his allegiance aside so his seven-year-old grandson Max, an Oilers fan, can watch his favourite team.

"I feel so blessed being able to come here with you guys," Gautreau said. His son Remi — Max's father — is with them too.

"It's a dream come true. So, go Oilers! Go!"

The family, as well as their friend Donny Brau, an Oilers fan who tagged along with them to Edmonton, have already booked their tickets to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in hopes there is a Game 5.

Despite the odds being against the Oilers, the team has not given up hope.

"Two of the three games probably could have went either way," said