Panthers Fall To Oilers

     The Florida Panthers finished a five-game home stand as they lost to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 at BB&T Center on Saturday. The Panthers completed a stretch in which they played 11 of the last 12 games at home. The Cats will play seven of their next eight games on the road.
     The Panthers had a record of 23-0-0 when leading after two periods prior to this contest. The Oilers won their ninth consecutive game in Sunrise, a streak that goes back to March 2002.
     After no scoring in the first period, Florida(35-27-7) pulled ahead 1-0 at the 7:58 mark of the second period. A pass back by Edmonton went past Oscar Klefbom and Frank Vatrano picked it up in the inside the Oilers blue line for a breakaway. He steered it away from Cam Talbot, who came all the way from his own crease to the high slot. Vatrano easily went around him and placed the puck into the wide open cage from the left circle for his fourth tally of the year.
     It would be tied 1-1 with 8:51 left in the frame as Edmonton(31-35-5) scored a shorthanded goal. Leon Draisaitl carried the puck into the Panthers zone on the left side and made a drop pass to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He skated into the left circle and sent a wrist shot through the pads of Roberto Luongo for his 20th goal of the campaign.
     The Panthers regained the lead with 4:06 to go in the period. Derek MacKenzie was on the right side and made a cross-ice pass. Vincent Trocheck received it in the right circle and scored on a snap shot for his 28th goal. Trocheck extended his point streak to six games.
      It took just 38 seconds into the third period for the Oilers to even up the contest 2-2. Nugent-Hopkins put the puck to Ty Rattie in the right corner. He connected a pass to Connor McDavid in the right circle. McDavid curled at the right-circle dot and fired a high wrist shot for his 34th goal of the season.
     The Oilers were able to keep the momentum and moved ahead 3-2 at 6:13 for their first lead of the game. A Darnell Nurse slap shot from the left point went wide and off the back glass. It bounced to Adam Larsson in the low right circle and he centered the puck where it went off a defender and into the net.
     Edmonton added an empty-net goal with 49.4 seconds remaining in the third when the Panthers pulled Luongo for an extra attacker. McDavid broke out of the Oilers zone and handed the puck to his right and Rattie flicked a shot into the empty cage from the red line. McDavid has compiled 23 points in his last 14 games played.