SUNRISE — Recreation 4 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate first seemed like a decisive win for the Florida Panthers. Then, it was trigger for dejection after a blown three-goal lead earlier than it was momentarily saved with heroics late in regulation.
Lastly, it was the Panthers falling sufferer to a game-winning objective in extra time for the second time this sequence.
Leon Draisaitl scored 11 minutes into extra time to present the Oilers a 5-4 win Thursday night time at Amerant Financial institution Area.
As an alternative of the Panthers being one win away from a second consecutive Stanley Cup title, they head north of the border for Recreation 5 in Edmonton on Saturday night time with the sequence tied 2-2.
Draisaitl set an NHL report along with his fourth extra time objective of the postseason, together with his second of the Ultimate.
Earlier than the game-winning objective, Panthers ahead Sam Bennett almost ended it however hit the publish.
Reinhart snuck the puck between the 2 posts from a decent angle on the left aspect after Tkachuk’s cross from the slot had Edmonton’s Mattias Janmark slipping on the ice.
The Panthers scored the tying objective whereas leaving their web empty for a person benefit late to answer a go-ahead objective by Oilers defenseman Jake Walman, who one-timed a slap shot into the alternative web from the precise circle with 6:24 remaining to present Edmonton the lead after it as soon as trailed by three objectives.
Tkachuk, after going and not using a objective within the first three video games, introduced his arrival within the Stanley Cup Ultimate with a pair of energy play objectives within the first interval as Florida opened up a 3-0 lead by the primary intermission.
The Panthers struck first throughout a 5-on-3 when Tkachuk snuck the puck between Skinner and the left publish off a faceoff win from middle Aleksander Barkov.
Florida had the two-man benefit because of back-to-back penalties from Edmonton’s Evander Kane and Darnell Nurse. First, Kane, who took 4 penalties in Monday’s Recreation 3, was known as for high-sticking ahead Tomas Nosek after which Nurse tripped Barkov.
Later within the first, Tkachuck put in a rebound off a shot from Sam Reinhart. The Panthers had been on the facility play once more because of Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm’s excessive stick in opposition to Brad Marchand.
With 42 seconds left earlier than the top of the interval, Anton Lundell scored from the slot after Carter Verhaeghe stole the puck behind the web and delivered a centering cross to him.
Edmonton pulled Skinner for Pickard after one, and the change could have lifted Oilers skaters within the second.
First, it was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on an influence play from a Sam Bennett slashing penalty. Deep into the second interval, Nurse went high shelf in opposition to Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky from the left aspect and emphatically motioned to the Panthers trustworthy as his Oilers pulled to inside a objective.
Ten seconds later, the Oilers went again on the facility play because of a delay of recreation from Barkov. Bobrovsky pulled heroics to cease harmful possibilities from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but it surely was fourth-line right-winger Vasily Podkolzin who scored seconds after the penalty kill at even energy to tie Recreation 4.
The 2 groups put together for a fast turnaround and prolonged journey in the one occasion of 1 off day between video games the place the location modifications within the sequence.
This story might be up to date.
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