Stanley Cup Final: Edmonton Oilers force Game 7 with 5-1 loss to Florida Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers forced a seventh and decisive game in the Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night at Rogers Place.

It marks only the tenth time in NHL history that a team has extended a series to seven games after trailing 3-0.

Warren Foegele opened the scoring 7:27 into the first, converting a pass from Leon Draisaitl for his third of the postseason. The Oilers defeated the Panthers 11-2 in the first.

Just 46 seconds into the second, Adam Henrique took a feed from Mattias Janmark and beat Sergei Bobrovsky’s blocker side for his fourth.

Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers just ten seconds later, but the goal was nullified after the Oilers successfully challenged for offside.

It was a long video review where the Panthers only appeared to be onside when entering the zone.

With less than two minutes left in the second, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins blocked a shot, sending the puck floating into the neutral zone. Zach Hyman tracked it down and went to the backhand to beat Bobrovsky on a breakaway, giving the Oilers a 3-0 lead.

Barkov would get one 1:28 into the third, running in from the right side, maneuvering around Stuart Skinner and tucking the puck into the open end. Skinner made a huge save on Sam Reinhart’s right side with just under five minutes remaining.

Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker with 3:30 to go. Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse promptly scored empty goals twelve seconds apart.

The Oilers are trying to become the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup Final after trailing 3-0 in the series. In NHL history, there have only been four successful rallies from 3-0 deficits.

The Panthers will host game seven on Monday (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 4 p.m., game at 6 p.m.).

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