EDMONTON — This time, the
Florida Panthers
built a lead and held it.
And because of it, they come back home with a chance to seal the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season.
The Panthers, behind two goals from Brad Marchand and others from Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, took down the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 5 on Saturday night at Rogers Place.
Florida, rebounding from a
Game 4 defeat in which it blew a three-goal lead
, can claim its second consecutive Stanley Cup back at Amerant Back Arena in Game 6 Tuesday night.
The Panthers improved to 10-3 on the road this postseason in what they hope will be their final away record if they can finish off the Oilers in six.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Bennett said. “We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. It’s going to be the hardest game. We know that.”
Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers defense had the Oilers shut out through two periods before superstar Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the Final in the third period with Edmonton down three goals.
“I thought guys did an amazing job with the skating, with the gap, with the sticks,” Bobrovsky said. “On the (penalty kill), I thought there was probably the most blocked shots I have ever seen. The guys put on an unbelievable performance in front of me.”
Marchand’s two goals make him the first player to score six in a Stanley Cup Final since 1988, when Esa Tikkanen did it for the Oilers.
He was first to score Saturday, starting Game 5 the way he ended the previous game in Edmonton, when he had the game-winner in double overtime. Marchand stole the puck after a faceoff win by the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl, created his own breakaway with his speed to shoot the puck past Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard, who was
starting for Stuart Skinner
.
Marchand’s fifth goal of the Final, before later adding a sixth, marked the second time he has scored five when playing for the Cup. He also accomplished the feat in 2011 with the Boston Bruins.
“Man, that guy’s good looking,” Marchand quipped when asked what his younger self would say about the Panthers version. “Definitely grateful to have another opportunity to be in the Final.”
Later in the first period, Bennett notched his fifth goal of the championship series when he blasted one in off a deflection from a shot Evan Rodrigues had blocked.
Bennett scored his 15th goal of the postseason and extended his record of road playoff goals in a single postseason to 13, doing so in six consecutive road games.
Bennett and Marchand have combined for 11 goals in five games of the Stanley Cup Final.
“They’re certainly capable of processing the context of the game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “They don’t get too high or too low.”
As the Panthers established a 2-0 lead, the Oilers only mustered three shots on goal in the first period. They didn’t have one on a power play from a Seth Jones interference that immediately preceded Bennett’s goal.
When it was 1-0, Draisaitl had the Edmonton crowd thinking it had a tying goal, but he hit the side of the net. Bobrovsky, as he heard chants of “Ser-gei” raining down from Oilers fans, stopped a couple of quality chances Edmonton had early, despite not putting another shot on goal later in the first.
Holding the two-goal lead after one period, the Panthers killed off two penalties in the second period, one on defenseman Aaron Ekblad for tripping and another on Reinhart for a delay of game. On the latter penalty kill, Luostarinen used his body and hands without his stick.
Marchand pulled off some elite stickwork for a third-period goal which put the Panthers up 3-0 sending the puck between the legs of Oilers defenseman Jake Walman before scoring.
McDavid’s goal brought life into Rogers Place for the first time Saturday night with under 13 minutes remaining, but Reinhart put Florida back up by three goals in short order a minute later to suck the energy out of the arena.
Edmonton added a Corey Perry goal with 3:13 remaining and the net empty. But Luostarinen then scored on the empty net with 1:19 left.
Game 6 back in Sunrise will be the Panthers’ final home game of the season, regardless of outcome, as Game 7, will be played in Edmonton if necessary.
