McDavid, Oilers drag Panthers back to Alberta
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
SUNRISE, Fla. — Connor McDavid has dragged the Florida Panthers back to Alberta.
The Edmonton Oilers star continued one of the most dominant playoff performances in NHL history with two goals and two assists in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, cutting the Panthers’ series lead to 3-2 and forcing a Game 6 on Friday at Rogers Place.
McDavid now has 42 points in 23 playoff games, putting him five points away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s 1985 NHL record of 47 points in 18 games for points in a single postseason.
The Oilers have scored 80 goals as a team in the playoffs. McDavid is in position to become the second player in NHL history to have a point on over 50% of his team’s goals, after Gretzky in 1988.
“I love playing in the playoffs,” McDavid said. “It’s been a fun ride. We’re glad it’s going to go one more day, but that’s all we’ve earned. Another day, another flight, and we’ll be ready to go on Friday.”
The Oilers are just the fourth team in NHL history to trail 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final and rally to force a Game 6. The 2012 New Jersey Devils lost in six games, the 1945 Detroit Red Wings lost in seven games and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs won in seven games — the only team in NHL history to win the Cup after trailing 3-0.
“You can never count the Oil out,” said goalie Stuart Skinner, who had 29 saves in the win and improved to 9-0 in Games 4-7 in each of Edmonton’s playoff series.
It was the second straight four-point game for McDavid, who became the first player in NHL history to have eight points in a two-game span in the Stanley Cup Final, as well as the first player to post consecutive four-point games in a Final. McDavid joins Gretzky (1985) as the only players with multiple four-point games in a single Stanley Cup Final. McDavid now has four games this postseason of four or more points, the most by any player since Mark Messier had four in 1988.
McDavid already set the NHL record for assists in a single postseason, adding two more in Game 5 to bring his total to 34.
Most importantly for the Oilers, McDavid now has eight points when facing elimination in the Stanley Cup Final, the most in NHL history.
“He puts this team on his back,” forward Corey Perry, who scored his first goal of the playoffs on a brilliant McDavid assist in the second period, said of McDavid. “When we’re against the wall, he puts us on his back and he plays. You see why he is the best player in the world.”
The Oilers took a 1-0 lead in Game 5 on a shorthanded goal by Connor Brown during a sloppy power-play from the Panthers. Defenseman Brandon Montour‘s pass was intercepted by Brown, who raced the other way. With center Aleksander Barkov unable to catch him, Brown deked goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and netted his second goal of the playoffs.
Brown had gone 55 games to start the season without a goal. In Game 4, he set up Mattias Janmark‘s opening shorthanded goal, then opened the scoring himself in Game 5.
Edmonton made it 2-0 on an Evan Bouchard power-play blast that was tipped home by Zach Hyman for his 15th goal of the postseason. Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola was whistled for interference at the end of the first period. With a fresh sheet of ice, the Oilers’ power play converted at 5-on-4 for the first time in the series.
McDavid assisted on that goal and then made it 3-0 for Edmonton just 3:02 later. A strong forecheck by forward Warren Foegele set up McDavid with the puck. Bobrovsky played too deeply in his net, and McDavid snuck the puck past him for his seventh goal of the postseason.
“I don’t want to give away too much, as there’s still hockey to be played, but coming in on that side of the goal, I’ve gone short side lots,” McDavid said. “I would say most people know that I look there. He was standing. [Hyman] is always around the net, so I tried to put it there and it found a way in.”
The Panthers found some life at 6:53 of the second period as Matthew Tkachuk converted an Evan Rodrigues steal for his first of the series.
But the Edmonton power play, which was held scoreless in all three Panthers wins, struck again. With Kyle Okposo in the box for hooking, McDavid made a brilliant stickhandling play and found a streaking Perry for his first goal of the postseason at 11:54 to make it 4-1. But the Panthers responded 14 seconds later, as Rodrigues jammed a puck off of Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse and behind Skinner to make it 4-2.
Tkachuk helped draw the Panthers even closer by finding a streaking Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who sent a dart past Skinner and cut the lead to 4-3 at 4:04 of the third period.
But that’s as close as the Panthers would get, as McDavid scored his eighth of the postseason into an empty net to ice the game.
“I know a lot of guys counted us out,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’ve been counted out a lot through the playoffs, regular season, whatever. But it doesn’t faze the group in there. They’ve got a lot of belief — a lot of belief and just enjoying every extra day because we were counted out a long time ago. We’re still here playing hockey in June and have the opportunity where we are going back to Edmonton for Game 6. There’s a lot to smile about.”
Especially with McDavid on their side, sending what looked like a potential Panthers sweep into a sixth game — and moving another step closer to a historic Stanley Cup comeback.
“I’m really excited, really excited,” McDavid said. “But I’ve been excited about all these games. Right from Game 1 way back two months ago. The playoffs are the most fun time of the year. Special with this group. Special with our city, our fans. They make it so fun to go on these runs, and I’m really excited to see the energy that they bring on Friday night.”
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
There’s an ancient South Florida proverb about numbers: Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four.
Opening the Eastern Conference finals with five goals in Game 1 on Tuesday showed that at least for one game the Florida Panthers could find a breakthrough against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only for Thursday to arrive and the Panthers to once again post five more goals in a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Sunrise for Game 3.
How did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 3 on Saturday?
Say what you will about the offside goal being akin to Charlie Brown getting the football pulled out from under him by Lucy. While it’s possible that the disallowed goal could have provided momentum, there were other things that suggested the Hurricanes were going to struggle.
Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve become one of the teams that consistently generates the highest number of shots per game. They entered Game 2 averaging 33.2 shots per game, yet they hadn’t even cracked double digits until there was 14 minutes remaining in the third period. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showed they had two high-danger scoring chances midway through the third period, and after giving up seven goals throughout the entirety of the second round, they’ve allowed 10 goals in the first two games.
Or view it this way: The Panthers had more goals than the Hurricanes had high-danger scoring chances. — Clark
What more is there to say about Florida, really? The term “clinic” doesn’t seem to cover it. The Panthers have done it all against Carolina in these first two games.
Thursday was another dominant performance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions in an offensive and defensive effort that requires no notes. The Panthers set a tone early with Gustav Forsling‘s goal just 1:17 into the game and never relented. The Hurricanes were averaging over 33 shots per night in the postseason (second most among playoff teams), and Florida limited their chances to seven shots through the first two periods alone — while the Panthers pummeled Carolina with 16 shots and four goals in the same span. It was enough to chase Frederik Andersen from the net, when he was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov with a four-goal deficit.
The Hurricanes’ top scorers were simply no match for Florida’s attack or a locked-in Sergei Bobrovsky, who, while not heavily challenged, was a match for all comers in a 16-save shutout. The way Florida is playing right now, one has to wonder how the Hurricanes can get back in this series as the teams shift down to Florida. — Shilton
Three Stars of Game 2
0:52
Panthers go up 3-0 on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal
The Panthers threaten to run away with it after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal makes it 3-0 in the first period.
He had two goals and a helper, as the Panthers dominated the Hurricanes in Game 2. This is Bennett’s second career 3-plus point playoff game and second career multigoal playoff game.
2. Team defense
The Hurricanes were averaging 33.2 shots per game this postseason, second in the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. But the Panthers, with their efficient and suffocating defense, held Carolina to five shots in the first 30 minutes of the game. Near the end of the second period, the fans at Lenovo Center were growing tired of it and started chanting “shoot the puck” at their team. Carolina did have more shot volume in the third period, ending with 17, but nothing got past Sergei Bobrovsky.
3. Offside reviews and coaching tactics
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of lengthy offside reviews. I wish there was a timer — if you can’t make the call in 90 seconds, then the call on the ice stands. But the Florida Panthers executed one to perfection in Game 2. Up 3-0 in the second period, the Hurricanes scored, but thinking the play was offside, the Panthers called a timeout to buy more time to see every angle available, eventually calling for the challenge. It was indeed determined to be offside and the goal was taken away. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 3
Let’s start here with the Hurricanes. There’s no shortage of options. Part of the reason Svechnikov is in this space is because he leads the Hurricanes in goals this postseason. The rest of it has more to do with whether the Canes can rely on a certain postseason pattern for Svechnikov holding true. After going goalless in Games 2 and 3 against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, he responded with a hat trick. He didn’t score in the first two games against the Washington Capitals only to then score a goal in three straight games. Could Svechnikov respond by grabbing at least one goal in Game 3? Or are the Canes in store for more offensive struggles once they arrive in Sunrise? — Clark
The Panthers’ instigator had been quiet since Florida’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay, recording just five assists in eight games heading into Game 2 against Carolina. But Tkachuk looked more like himself Thursday, agitating the Hurricanes and making his physical presence felt. He also emerged early on the score sheet, registering an assist on Gustav Forsling’s game-opening salvo and adding a goal — Tkachuk’s first in 10 games — in the opening period to extend Florida’s lead to 2-0. It was a testament to how commanding Tkachuk’s line was with Sam Bennett (two goals and an assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (three assists) that he was able to finally appear as the Tkachuk of old. If this was indeed Tkachuk’s reawakening after a slow stretch, then the Hurricanes better be well aware of Tkachuk going forward because he was as dangerous as ever at both ends of the ice in Game 2. — Shilton
0:54
Matthew Tkachuk taps it in to pad the Panthers’ lead
Matthew Tkachuk sneaks the puck past the goalie to pad the Panthers’ lead against the Hurricanes.
Big questions for Game 3
What’s the response to their worst playoff loss this year?
Several questions will be asked when it comes to what adjustments can be made before Game 3. Could one of them be about what the Hurricanes must do to get off to a stronger start? Allowing two first-period goals in Game 1 already presented the reality that the Panthers were going to remain aggressive. But to then give up the first goal less than two minutes into the first before giving up three in total in an opening frame that saw the Panthers record just five shots on net? That only adds to the degree of difficulty for a team that has now lost two straight playoff games after losing two postseason games in total over the first two rounds, especially when the last time the Hurricanes were down 0-2 to the Panthers in a playoff series was during the 2023 Eastern Conference finals in which they were swept. — Clark
Will Sam Reinhart be back at full strength for the Panthers?
Florida saw one of its top skaters exit in the first period after Sebastian Aho delivered a hit that forced Reinhart out for the remainder of the game with a lower-body injury. While Florida had Game 2 well in hand even before Reinhart became unavailable, it’s safe to say the Panthers are a better team when he’s in the lineup. Reinhart’s status going forward is significant for Florida overall. Reinhart paced the Panthers with 39 goals and 81 points in the regular season and notched 11 points in 13 postseason tilts going into Game 2. Florida must hope that Reinhart isn’t just available for Game 3 (and beyond), but that he’s not too banged up to continue operating at a high level. — Shilton
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