The Edmonton Oilers topped the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on Friday night. The Panthers had won the first three games and now are tied in the best-of-seven series 3-3 with the Oilers.
Game 7 will be played on Monday night in Sunrise to decide who will capture the Stanley Cup. Teams leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven NHL postseason series have a 206-4 record all-time to eventually win the series. Edmonton became the third team to be in a 3-0 game deficit in a Stanley Cup Final and force a Game 7.
Florida will be looking to win their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history during their 30th NHL season. The Oilers will try to collect their sixth Stanley Cup title in team history and become the first Canadian-based club to win it since 1993.
Edmonton raced out to a 1-0 lead at the 7:27 mark of the first period. Brett Kulak cleared the puck out of his zone to center ice. Leon Draisaitl angled a pass from the top right circle and Warren Foegele placed in a snap shot from the low left circle past Sergei Bobrosky for his third goal in the playoffs. The Cats were held to two shots on goal in the first.
In the second period, the Oilers increased it to 2-0 just 46 seconds into the frame. Mattias Ekholm sent a long lead pass from behind his own cage. Mattias Janmark got it at the Panthers blue line and made a cross-ice pass from the left circle. Adam Henrique put in a wrist shot from the low right circle for his fourth postseason goal. The Cats had a goal disallowed 10 seconds later on an Oilers replay challenge for offside.
It became 3-0 for Edmonton with 1:40 to go in the second. Gustav Forsling had his slap shot blocked on the left point by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and it bounced out to the top of the Panthers zone. Zach Hyman hustled down the middle of the ice on a breakaway and slipped in a backhand shot from the crease area for his 16th goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Florida cut it to 3-1 at 1:28 of the third period. Dmitry Kulikov stopped a clearing attempt on the right point and Carter Verhaeghe backhanded the puck from the right wing. Aleksander Barkov carried it through the right circle and scored his eighth goal of the postseason on a forehand shot by Stuart Skinner from the top of the crease.
The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra skater with 3l30 remaining. The Oilers made it 4-1 with 3:15 left when Ryan McLeod took a backhand shot from the Panthers blue line for an empty-net goal.
Florida went again for an extra attacker on the ensuing faceoff and the result was the same several seconds later. Skinner pushed the puck out of his own crease and Darnell Nurse sent a long shot deep in his own zone for another empty-net tally with 3:03 to go. It turned out to be Skinner's first career postseason point.
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