The Florida Panthers went on the road and took care of business in game five of the Stanley Cup Finals, beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 to take a 3-2 series lead. The Cats now have a chance to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup in front of their home fans on Tuesday night.
Both teams had series-low shots on goal attempts. The Oilers finished the game with 21 attempts, while the Panthers had 19. The Panthers, with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal, played a stifling, suffocating defense that helped them win game five.
Bobrovsky talked about their game plan that led to a Florida win.“It was a very solid game, definitely. But the series continues and we are excited about the next game. It’s going to be a big game.”
Calvin Pickard started once again in goal for the Oilers instead of Stuart Skinner. It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get rolling against Pickard. Brad Marchand scored his ninth goal of the playoffs at 5:12 of the first period to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead, a lead that they would never give up.
Sam Bennett scored his 15th goal of the playoffs late in the period to put the Panthers up 2-0 after one period.
It would stay 2-0 until the third when Brad Marchand scored his 10th of the playoffs to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
The Oilers were finally able to get something going offensively as Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Finals to cut the deficit to 3-1 at 7:24 of the third period. But, less than a minute after the McDavid goal, Sam Reinhart would score to put the Panthers up 4-1.
Corey Perry would score his tenth of the playoffs to make it a 4-2 game at the 16:47 mark, before Eutu Luastarinen would hit the back of the net for the Panthers to make the final 5-2.
Brad Marchand, who tallied two goals and one assist, talked about how much fun this Stanley Cup run has been for him.
“I’m just enjoying every moment. It’s such a special group of guys, and I’m having so much fun here right now. I honestly feel like a young guy in the league again, just excited to be part of the group.”
Marchand is playing in his third Cup final since he last lifted the Cup with Boston in 2011.
Darnell Nurse of the Oilers lamented that the Oilers did not play their game from the start of the game. “We just got to play our game earlier,” he said. “We can all agree in our room that we can be better.”
The Panthers are now 25-11 on the road over the last three playoff seasons, while the Oilers are 7-3 at home in the playoffs.
They have a chance to win their second Stanley Cup at home Tuesday night, but Sam Bennett knows how hard that game will be.
“It’s a great opportunity. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. It’s going to be the hardest game, and I think we know that. Yeah, the job’s not done yet, and a lot more work to do.”
Leon Draisaitl has three goals in the finals, while McDavid has just one goal for the Oilers. 40-year-old Corey Perry has been the best offensive player for the Oilers with four goals in the finals.
Compare that to the Panthers’ production from their star players.
Sam Bennett- 5 Goals
Brad Marchand- 5 goals
Sam Reinhart- 3 goals
This is a very good Oilers team. Not great, but very good. It will be hard for the Oilers to win a Stanley Cup without an upgrade in goals.
With Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard rotating in goal, it will be a challenge for the Oilers to hoist the Cup. Now the odds are stacked against the Oilers as they will have to beat the Panthers two games in a row to win the Cup, once in Sunrise, and once in Edmonton. Impossible? No, but highly unlikely.
The Oilers are no strangers to adversity. Last year, the Panthers built a 3-0 lead, before Edmonton came back to tie the series 3-3, before losing game seven at home 2-1.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch talked about the adversity that the Oilers must overcome.
“Knowing we’re in a difficult position and have to win our last two games is something we’re confident we can do. We’ve been through difficult situations before and it was just another one that we’ll overcome.”
Game six will be in Sunrise at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night. The money line has the Oilers at +120, while the Panthers come in at -140.