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That feeling of being cheated, of seeing his team lose in the Stanley Cup final on a horribly bad call, Michael Peca said he got over that long ago. But the feeling of losing, of watching the other side celebrate while the Buffalo Sabres stood in disbelief, that's something Peca has never forgotten or wanted to, for that matter.

Remembering how devastated he felt when the Dallas Stars won the Cup seven years ago is what has fuelled Peca, driving him to new teams with an old hope. And now he's back where he's always wanted to be — in a deciding game for the National Hockey League's championship trophy.

Tonight in Raleigh, N.C., against an injured but still dangerous collection of Carolina Hurricanes, the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers will try to close a most improbable run by coming back from a 3-1 series disadvantage to win the Stanley Cup as the visiting team.

Should it happen, the Oilers would add a new chapter to their glorious history, while Peca would get his chance to amend what went wrong in 1999.

Back then, the relentless Peca helped the Sabres get to the sixth game of the Cup final against Dallas. On that fitful evening, Brett Hull scored the winner in triple overtime, despite having a skate in the crease at a time when the NHL was waving off goals for so much as breathing in the goaltender's domain.

The Sabres fumed as the Stars partied and the NHL hid its head in the ice over the non-call.

Seven years later, Peca is older (32), wiser, yet still relentless in his approach to the game and to tonight's deciding game. This, he said, is the second chance he always hoped he would get.

“Feeling cheated?” he said. “You had to get over that. The thing that motivated me even when I was struggling here this season was the will to win a championship. We knew when we put it all together we really were a pretty good team. Obviously in the playoffs, we've had more games where we've come out on top. But through it all, I've wanted to win a championship — and it's not just for me now. It's for Chris Pronger, Jason Smith, Ryan Smyth and for all the guys in this room.”

Through Edmonton's playoff surge, Peca has often been asked to compare the Oilers of now with the Sabres of then. The comparisons, he's noted, are striking.

“When we did it in Buffalo, it was a team effort,” he said. “We had two defencemen who led our team in scoring. We have Pronger here. I remember Wayne Primeau scoring big goals, and we have [Fernando] Pisani doing it now. You can draw a lot of similarities. Hopefully, this one ends differently.”

Peca did his share in Saturday's sixth game to ensure there would be a seventh. Although he had only one assist in the 4-0 win, Peca checked and hounded and was deviously defensive. So thorough was his work that he drew these comments from Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish, who was known for being a heads-up forward back in his day:

“Michael Peca played incredible again. He's the straw that stirs the drink with the other two [Raffi Torres and Pisani] ... and he's a great passer.

“He's certainly been at this level for a while, but he's even exceeded that,” MacTavish added.

Now, he'd like to surpass everything else he's accomplished in hockey and win the Stanley Cup.

He said he knows it won't be easy because the Hurricanes, beaten and embarrassed on Saturday, are not about to go away quietly.

Carolina will have the last line change in its building and will try to get its slumping captain, Rod Brind'Amour, away from Peca's defensive prowess.

Maybe that will be enough to turn things ever so slightly in the Hurricanes' favour.

What is undeniably certain is that the Oilers will come hard and fast, and Peca, eager to leave his mark, will continue to make good on the promise he gave to MacTavish in February.

“I don't know for sure if they had intentions of trading me, but during the Olympic break I had a meeting with Craig,” Peca said.

“He wanted to know where my head was at, how I felt. I told him I didn't want to go anywhere. So I told Craig, ‘You'll get the best from me from now on.' I made him that promise and ... here we are.”

One win away from the Stanley Cup, from a return to grandeur. For the Oilers, it would be divine. For Peca, it would be only fitting. He may have got past the feeling of being cheated in 1999, but the ache of losing has never really gone away.

Come tonight, it might just disappear for good.