The Edmonton Oilers seized victory from the jaws of defeat on Thursday evening against the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, rebounding from a 3-0 deficit to eventually grab a 5-4 victory in overtime.
Leon Draisaitl scored his fourth overtime game-winning goal of the postseason, setting a new NHL record. Meanwhile, the Oilers also scored four consecutive goals to grab the lead before Florida knotted the score late in regulation.
The series is now tied at two games apiece with Game 5 looming in Edmonton on Saturday evening.
Despite Game 4 Loss, The Panthers Aren’t Panicking
It was an extremely disappointing loss for the Panthers, who had every right to feel like they would win the game when they led by three goals and then got the game-tying goal from Reinhard late in regulation.
However, given their championship swagger from last season’s Stanley Cup victory, don’t expect them to be throwing in the tower.
“We had a good start; they came back,” said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. “It was a tight game, good chances. The series comes down to best-of-three. We’re excited about that.”
“They’re a good team. We respect them. It is what it is. We put that behind us and get ready for the next one.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who had to watch his club uncharacteristically give away a three-goal lead, believed that the first and second periods were mirror opposites.
“It was just a mirror of the first period,” Maurice said. “They got in a little penalty trouble there [in the first period], and we took advantage of it. The second period was just the opposite. I think we were plus-3 on the power play side early, and minus-3 on the power play side in the second half. Then we came out with an even, tight game.”
Reinhard tied the game late in regulation but later spoke up about how his team intended to handle their loss and how it could potentially buoy them going forward.
“A lot of success in the postseason is how you handle your losses,” Reinhart said. “They’re going to happen, especially when you get down to the last two teams. You’ve got two of the best teams going at it.”
Game 5 between the Panthers and Oilers will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday evening, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, before Game 6 returns to Florida at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday evening.
