The Florida Panthers were unable to handle business at home in Game 5 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton entered the contest with tons of momentum following the weekend beatdown in Canada causing a Game 5 to happen in the first place.
In what turned out to be an enjoyable hockey game if you had not “horse in the race”, the Edmonton Oilers prevailed, 5-3, over the Florida Panthers. The win sets up another game in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals later this week.
Edmonton Nets First Goal of Game 5 in First Period
Florida entered Amerant Bank Arena with the crowd on their side, however, they were quickly silenced by another early tone-setting Edmonton short-handed goal. Connor Brown showed phenomenal patience in waiting for sprawling Bobrovsky to score the first goal of Game 5 at the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
Following the deflating special teams goal, Florida struggled to reclaim their hard-checking game as Edmonton pushed the pace of the game into overdrive. The Panthers were unable to generate a shot over the last 14 minutes of game action in the first frame.
The accompanying frustration boiled over at the end of the first period as Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola was called for interference at the end of the first period which set up Edmonton’s powerplay on a fresh sheet of ice in the second period.
Second Period Scorefest at 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals
The Florida Panthers killed off all but 0:02 seconds of the opening roughing minor before Zach Hyman scored to double the Edmonton lead, 2-0. Connor McDavid scored his seventh goal of the 2024 postseason to put the Oilers ahead 3-0 only 5 minutes into the middle regulation period at the stunned Amerant Bank Arena
Matthew Tkachuk scored less than two minutes later to breathe some life back into a depressant South Florida arena with only his second goal since Round 2 to make the score 3-1 Edmonton. The Edmonton man advantage scored again at 11:54 as veteran Corey Perry jumped off the bench in the perfect timing window to redirect a pass from McDavid into the back of Florida’s net for a 4-1 lead.
Florida’s big-moment player in this series has been Evan Rodrigues with massive goals early in the series. The Panthers forward struck again in Game 5 scoring just 14 seconds after the EDM goal at 12:08. Edmonton doubled up Florida, 4-2, at the second intermission.
Some fun NHL history for Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard. He tied & sailed past Edmonton Oilers defensive legend and current assistant coach Paul Coffey in the postseason assists record books in the second period with his 25th and 26th helpers of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bouchard had a hand in all three Oilers’ third-period goals.
Third-Period Drama in South Florida
The Florida Panthers attempted to keep things interesting in the third period as Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored less than five minutes into to make it a one-goal game, 4-3. Florida pressed hard for the tying goal leaving the net empty with 2+ minutes in the contest.
Edmonton’s goalie Stuart Skinner stood tall, while superstar Connor McDavid scored the final goal of the game, 5-3. Game 6 will take place on Thursday evening in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Florida leads the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, 3 games to 2.
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