7 months ago
8
Ryan S. Clark
Kristen Shilton
Jun 13, 2025, 12:15 AM ET
South Florida is the benignant of spot wherever bizarre doesn't conscionable live, it thrives. Jake Walman, who was was fined for squirting h2o successful Game 3, scored what appeared to beryllium the game-winning extremity successful the 3rd play ... lone for Sam Reinhart to people with 20 seconds near successful regularisation ... earlier Leon Draisaitl scored the existent game-winner successful overtime for the Oilers to instrumentality a 5-4 win and necktie the Stanley Cup Final astatine 2-2.
Game 4 was truthful erratic that adjacent Florida Man apt thought it was excessively much. Exactly however hectic are we talking? How astir the Panthers opening with a 3-0 pb successful the archetypal period, lone to spot the Oilers propulsion Stuart Skinner, regenerate him with Calvin Pickard and past people 3 goals of their ain successful the 2nd period.
That acceptable the signifier for a antiaircraft deadlock successful the 3rd that appeared to archetypal beryllium breached erstwhile Walman scored with 6:24 near to springiness the Oilers their seventh comeback triumph of these Stanley Cup playoffs, earlier Draisaitl finished the occupation successful overtime.
At this point, you cognize the drill. Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton instrumentality a look astatine what worked and what didn't for each team, portion examining what players to ticker successful Game 5 portion examining the large questions for some the Oilers and Panthers travel Saturday.
Edmonton Oilers
Grade: B+
Is the speech aft Game 4 much astir the comeback -- oregon what forced the Oilers to adjacent request to travel backmost successful the archetypal place?
After the Oilers allowed 2 goals successful each play of Game 3, they allowed 3 successful the archetypal play of Game 4. In total, the archetypal play marked the sixth clip successful the archetypal 10 periods of this bid that the Panthers person travel distant with aggregate goals. That's what forced Oilers manager Kris Knoblauch and his unit into making a speedy adjustment, to debar a catastrophe akin to Game 3.
Knoblauch's determination to region Skinner to commencement the 2nd led to Pickard stopping each 10 shots helium faced successful the frame. It helped that the Oilers went from a 38.4% changeable stock successful the archetypal to a 55.6% changeable stock successful the second, resulting successful 3 goals. It was conscionable their 2nd multi-goal play during the Cup Final.
Everything was going truthful good successful the third. Their antiaircraft operation allowed 8 combined high-danger scoring chances successful the 2nd and 3rd period, a opposition from the 7 they allowed successful the archetypal alone. To beryllium 20 seconds distant from tying the bid each portion the Panthers had a changeable stock that was greater than 60%? That's what made Reinhart's extremity truthful disheartening due to the fact that that's however adjacent they were from tying the bid astatine 2-2.
But successful the end, Draisaitl's game-winner drew the Oilers level entering Game 5 connected Saturday. -- Clark
1:11
Leon Draisaitl scores OT victor for Oilers successful Game 4
Leon Draisaitl notches the game-winning extremity with this one-handed effort successful a pulsating Game 4 that levels the bid for Oilers.
Florida Panthers
Grade: B
Florida tried to telephone crippled successful the archetypal period. And, briefly, it looked similar they succeeded. The Panthers pounced aboriginal with a brace of Matthew Tkachuk power-play goals (his archetypal points of the Cup Final) and Anton Lundell added insult to Oilers' wounded by extending Florida's pb to 3 with conscionable 41 seconds near successful the archetypal play -- a 20 infinitesimal framework wherever the Panthers outshot Edmonton 17-7 and outchanced them 21-5. Florida's furious forecheck erstwhile again appeared to flummox the Oilers.
But Edmonton made a goalie alteration to commencement the second, and their karma shifted on with it -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (on the powerfulness play), Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkolzin erased each Florida's archetypal play enactment and enactment the Panthers connected their heels.
And Calvin Pickard had Florida's fig successful net, keeping the Panthers' heavy good of violative threats from uncovering an equalizer until 20 seconds were near successful regularisation and Sam Reinhart recovered an opening.
The eventual nonaccomplishment successful other clip inactive felt stunning. It was a merchandise of Florida's uncharacteristic mistakes -- players caught beneath the extremity line, losing way of assignments, turnovers -- that yet doomed them successful a crippled they were connected way to triumph handily. Now each that matters is however they rebound successful the speedy turnaround to Game 5. -- Shilton
Arda Öcal's Three Stars of Game 4
1. Leon Draisaitl
C, Oilers
Draisaitl acceptable the grounds for astir overtime goals successful a azygous postseason, with 4 -- aft mounting the grounds for astir overtime goals successful the regular season. He is the 3rd subordinate successful Stanley Cup Final past with aggregate OT goals successful a azygous bid -- on with Don Raleigh successful 1950 with the New York Rangers vs. the Detroit Red Wings, and John LeClair successful 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Los Angeles Kings.
2. Calvin Pickard
G, Oilers
After coming successful to relieve Stuart Skinner, Pickard proceeded to marque 22 saves connected 23 shots (the lone extremity coming successful the last infinitesimal of regularisation with Florida's nett empty). Pickard is the archetypal goaltender to triumph a Stanley Cup Final crippled successful alleviation since Andrei Vasilevskiy successful 2015 (played 9:13 successful alleviation of injured Ben Bishop). He is besides the 4th goalie to triumph 7 consecutive decisions successful the playoffs who didn't commencement his team's archetypal crippled of the postseason, joining Chris Osgood (2008), Jacques Plante (1969) and Cam Ward (2006).
3. Matthew Tkachuk
RW, Panthers
Tkachuk scored his archetypal 2 goals of the Cup Final to unfastened the crippled up rapidly for Florida. This was besides the archetypal clip Tkachuk has scored 2 goals successful a Cup Final game. His 5th vocation playoff power-play extremity sets a franchise record.
0:41
Matthew Tkachuk scores again to marque it 2-0 Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk doubles the Panthers' lead, again scoring connected the powerfulness play against the Oilers successful Game 4.
Honorable mention: This series!
This Cup Final has been incredibly entertaining. Between 2 overtime games, a blowout and dueling three-goal periods successful Game 4, determination has been nary shortage of play and intrigue successful this Cup Final rematch. This bid is the 3rd successful NHL past to spot astatine slightest spot full goals successful the archetypal 4 games (1980 and 1918 were the others) and, astatine 31 goals, is tied for the 4th astir goals successful Cup Final History done 4 games. Bring connected Game 5!
Players to ticker successful Game 5
Calvin Pickard
G, Oilers
Pickard's enactment successful alleviation of Skinner has go alternatively instrumental successful the Oilers establishing immoderate consciousness of consistency. The strongest illustration of that came successful their first-round bid against the Los Angeles Kings, erstwhile Pickard was named the starter successful Game 3 and would triumph 4 consecutive to beforehand to the 2nd round. He won the archetypal 2 games of the 2nd circular against the Vegas Golden Knights, earlier an wounded prompted the Oilers to instrumentality to Skinner.
Pickard was cleanable successful the 2nd play of Game 4, and was astir flawless until Reinhart's extremity precocious successful the 3rd period. But erstwhile it reached overtime? Pickard stopped each changeable -- with immoderate assistance from the crossbar -- to decorativeness the evening stopping 22 of 23 shots for a .957 prevention percent implicit 51:18. And that's with the Panthers having a changeable stock greater than 57% implicit the last 2 periods. -- Clark
0:40
Calvin Pickard's outrageous prevention keeps Oilers successful game
Calvin Pickard's unthinkable tip-save onto the crossbar stops Panthers from notching an overtime game-winner.
Sam Bennett
C, Panthers
The Panthers' starring scorer successful the playoffs wasn't his champion successful Game 4 -- and Florida volition request a instrumentality to signifier determination connected Saturday. Bennett took a 2nd play infraction that led to Edmonton's archetypal extremity disconnected a powerfulness play marker by Nugent-Hopkins, and helium was tagged again successful the 3rd play for tripping close erstwhile Florida had recovered its mislaid momentum.
Add to that Bennett collected conscionable a azygous assistance connected a nighttime wherever the Panthers struggled for discourtesy aft an explosive archetypal period. That's not the benignant of interaction Florida requires from Bennett -- and each eyes volition beryllium connected however helium rebounds successful Game 5.
It was affirmative for Florida to spot Tkachuk get rolling connected Thursday, but the Panthers' discourtesy has truthful often tally done Bennett (his breakaway extremity successful Game 3 was peculiarly nice). Florida volition beryllium close to expect Bennett to effort atoning for his sins erstwhile the bid shifts backmost to Edmonton. And if immoderate subordinate tin crook things astir successful a hurry, it's Bennett -- who was the odds-on Conn Smythe Trophy favourite up of Game 4 for a reason. -- Shilton
Big questions for Game 5
Did their comeback perchance unlock a caller mode to support the Panthers?
The Oilers person had troubles with preventing breakways. They've struggled with succumbing to giving up the large play connected much than 1 occasion. In fact, that was the communicative of a Game 3 that mightiness person been their worst show of the postseason.
The archetypal play of Game 4 created the thought that it could beryllium different antiaircraft situation for the Oilers -- lone to locomotion distant with a win, and the content that they mightiness person recovered a solution for those aforementioned issues.
Game 4 established a fewer items:
The Oilers recovered ways to instrumentality distant the passing lanes, which is wherefore they went from allowing 17 shots successful the archetypal play to 23 shots for the full remainder of the game.
They blocked 28 shots.
They importantly prevented the Panthers from having high-danger chances contempt the possession numbers. In fact, the Panthers finished with 1 high-danger scoring accidental successful overtime portion having a 57.14% changeable share.
Even with Reinhart's precocious goal, the wide operation the Oilers utilized for the remainder of Game 4 -- coupled with Pickard's show -- had them looking similar the squad that's led to Connor McDavid repeatedly stating they can play defense. But tin they harness what they did successful Game 4 for Game 5 and beyond? And if so, volition that beryllium the cardinal to the remainder of the series? -- Clark
Can Florida rattle Calvin Pickard?
The Panthers had Stuart Skinner's fig successful this series, scoring 8 goals connected the netminder done Game 3 and the archetypal play of Game 4. Pickard, connected the different hand, was fantabulous successful alleviation of Stuart connected Thursday, making 18 consecutive saves earlier allowing Reinhart's extremity precocious successful the third.
It's not similar Pickard wasn't challenged. He made respective terrific stops connected the Panthers' apical scorers, and proved helium was inactive successful highest signifier contempt not starting a crippled successful weeks.
That doesn't bode good for Florida. Even though Reinhart did get 1 past Pickard late, it didn't look to shingle Pickard's confidence. He was terrific successful other time, doing much than capable to support gait with Sergei Bobrovsky astatine the different end, and yet securing the triumph for Edmonton.
So what benignant of situation volition a goaltending power contiguous for Florida successful Game 5? Pickard was a sensational 6-0 successful the postseason anterior to getting wounded successful the 2nd round. If Pickard tin beryllium that game-changing beingness successful the crease the Oilers are looking for, what volition it instrumentality from the Panthers to respond and recapture an violative edge? -- Shilton
