Oilers Survive Panthers In Game 5

     The Edmonton Oilers escaped the Florida Panthers 5-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night. Florida now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The Panthers will attempt for the third time in the series to capture their first Stanley Cup title in Game 6 on Friday night in Edmonton. 

     Edmonton got out to a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at the 5:30 mark of the first period. Connor Brown tipped the puck from a Brandon Montour cross-ice pass at the top of the Oilers zone and carried it down the ice on a breakaway. He slipped in a backhand shot from the crease area past Sergei Bobrovsky for his second goal in the series. 

     The Oilers extended the lead to 2-0 with the man advantage at 1:58 of the second period. Connor McDavid fed the puck from the left wing. Evan Bouchard blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone that went off the right leg of Zach Hyman at the top of the crease. It was Hyman's first goal of the series and league-leading 15th goal in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

     It became 3-0 for Edmonton at the 5:00 mark of the second. Bouchard flipped a long lead pass out of his own zone. Warren Foegele handed the puck off with a backhand pass from the left circle. 

McDavid skated with it to the low left circle and released a wrist shot from the left goal line for his seventh playoff goal. 

     Florida cut the deficit to 3-1 at 6:53 of the second period. The Oilers turned the puck over and Evan Rodrigues sent the puck ahead from the left point. Matthew Tkachuk then lifted a snap shot from the slot area by Stuart Skinner for his sixth postseason goal. 

     The Oilers added another power-play goal with 8:06 to go in the second. McDavid skated into the neutral zone, through the left circle and made a square pass. Corey Perry steered the puck in from the right of the crease for his first playoff tally. Bouchard collected his 26th assist of the playoffs on the play, which set an NHL record in one postseason for most assists by a defenseman. 

     The Cats closed it to 4-2 just 14 seconds later. Sam Bennett pushed the puck from the left goal line and Montour had his shot from the high slot blocked. Rodrigues tapped the puck in from the blue paint for his seven goal of the postseason.

     In the third period, the Panthers made it 4-3 at 4:04. Tkachuk backhanded a pass from the end wall and Oliver Ekman-Larsson snapped a shot from the top left circle for his second playoff goal. 

     Florida pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 2:35 left. Edmonton expanded it to 5-3 with 18.7 seconds remaining. McDavid put in a forehand shot into an empty net from the left circle for his second goal of the contest and eighth goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.