The Florida Panthers had things well in control against the Edmonton Oilers, building a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes of play and appearing like they were about to run Edmonton out of the building.
But then, it all fell apart. The Oilers ultimately emerged with a 5-4 overtime victory that was marked by four straight goals to take the lead, only to see Florida knot the score late in regulation with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky pulled.
However, Leon Draisaitl scored his fourth overtime game-winning goal of the postseason, a new NHL record. The Stanley Cup Final is now tied at two games apiece, a stunning development as it looked from the early goings of the evening that it would be a 3-1 stranglehold for Florida.
Oilers Seized Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat
Things didn’t start off well for the Oilers, as they fell behind in the opening 20 minutes of play after a pair of goals from Panthers assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk along with a tally from Anton Lundell.
The Oilers then made the switch from goaltender Jeff Skinner to Calvin Pickard for the third time in the postseason, and their comeback effort began from that point. The Oilers managed to knot the score at 3-3 before the second period ended thanks to goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, and Vasily Podkolzin.
Oilers defenseman Jake Walman gave them their first lead with his second goal of the postseason just pas the midway point the third period. But with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the bench for a sixth attacker, Florida’s Sam Bennett scored to knot the score with 20 seconds remaining.
In overtime, the Oilers were the recipients of a pair of fortunate bounces. First, a prime chance from Sam Bennett deflected off Pickard’s glove and off the post without entering the net. And second, an attempted cross-ice pass from Draisaitl deflected off Niko Mikkola and through the pads of Bobrovsky for the game winner.
Three Panthers Who Failed To Deliver In Shocking Overtime Loss
#1. Niko Mikkola
The Finnish defenseman picked a bad time to have a bad game.
Draisaitl’s overtime game-winning goal deflected off a sliding Mikkola, who was attempting to block the pass, and through the pads of Bobrovsky.
Not only that, but he was caught out of position multiple times during Edmonton’s comeback effort and finished with a team-worst -3 rating.
#2. Seth Jones
Speaking of being on the ice for Edmonton goals against, that’s the predicament that Seth Jones found himself in on Thursday evening.
Jones finished with a -2 rating while also committing a trio of giveaways in the loss to the Oilers, while finishing with no points.
#3. Sergei Bobrovsky
While Bobrovsky has been mostly rock-solid for the Oilers in the postseason, he allowed himself to get outdueled by journeyman goaltender Calvin Pickard after he replaced Skinner in net.
Bobrovsky finished with five goals allowed on the 35 shots he faced, finishing the game with a .857 save percentage. Pickard made the saves he had to in order to give the Oilers a chance at winning, and Bobrovsky didn’t do the same for his club.
