The Edmonton Oilers' online 50/50 pot reached all-time highs twice this week.
Per Dylan Short of the Edmonton Journal, the 50/50 pot for Game 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday reached a record of $5.4 million. That shattered the record that was set on Monday for Game 2 at $3.2 million.
The Wednesday draw closed early due to the extremely high demand 50/50 tickets. The Oilers Foundation later reported that somebody claimed the winning prize of appox. $2.708 million. They also more than doubled the amount of available tickets for Friday's game.
Short noted that the Toronto Raptors previously held the record for the largest 50/50 pot at $2 million during last year's NBA Finals. The Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors to win their first championship in franchise history.
The NHL returned to play last week in the hub cities of Edmonton, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario. The Western Conference teams are playing their games at Rogers Place, the Oilers' home venue. Scotiabank Arena, the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is serving as the venue for the Eastern Conference clubs.
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The Oilers entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and they drew a first round matchup with the 12th-seeded Blackhawks. Jonathan Toews and company took Game 1 on Saturday by a final score of 6-4, but the Oilers rebounded with a 6-3 victory in Game 2.
Chicago scored two late goals in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. They have a chance to close out the series on Friday evening. Game 5, if necessary, will take place on Saturday.
If the Oilers can win these next two games and advance to the round of 16, one can only assume how much higher the 50/50 pots will grow. The pressure is on Connor McDavid and 2019-20 Art Ross Trophy winner Leon Daisaitl to help Edmonton avoid the upset as they look to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in three years.