Florida looks to respond after blowing multigoal lead; Pickard starts for Edmonton
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EDMONTON — This seesaw, overtime-filled, no-lead-is-safe Stanley Cup Final has shifted diagonally northwest across the continent to Western Canada for Game 5 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers at Rogers Place on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, MAX, CBC, SN, TVAS).
The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 with three of the four games being decided in overtime, including each of Edmonton’s wins in Games 1 and 4 ended by forward Leon Draisaitl.
“This has been a pretty incredible (Stanley Cup Final),” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “I think this is one of the tightest series I think anyone will ever see. Most exciting. Just the talent level and how close these two teams are, how back and forth the games have been, it’s been very exciting, a little nerve wracking at times. We’re all big fans of the game still and to have these two teams playing each other and playing the way they are and the games playing out the way they have, it makes you realize why you love the game so much but also why this trophy is the hardest there is to win.”
The Game 5 swing is obvious with history clearly favoring the winner.
Edmonton is 12-5 all-time when a best-of-7 series is tied 2-2, including 5-1 when starting at home. Florida is 5-2 in such situations, including 4-0 when starting on the road.
When a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 19 of 26 times (73.1 percent).
“Obviously, it’s a different feeling than it was last year,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “Being down three, chasing the whole series. It’s a chance to put ourselves in a good spot here tonight with a big effort. We’re excited. I’m sure they’re excited too. Everyone’s excited. It’s a big game.”
There have been 32 goals scored so far, making it the highest-scoring Cup Final through four games in 44 years, since the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars combined for 36 in four games in 1981.
It’s also the first time in Cup Final history that two games have featured a game-tying goal in the final minute (Games 2 and 4).
The Panthers enter looking to overcome a tough loss in Game 4, when they became the first team in Cup Final history to lose when they were leading at least 3-0 after the first period. Teams in that situation were previously 32-0.
“I mean, obviously it was a disappointing loss, but pages turn pretty quick this time of year,” Marchand said. “You can’t get caught thinking ahead or behind; it has to be in the moment. Especially with the quick turnaround to this game, guys did a good job of resetting and doing what they had to do to be prepared for this game here tonight.”
On the other hand, the Oilers know they have to reset after an emotional comeback win if they want to be strong at the start of Game 5.
They’ll try do it with Calvin Pickard in goal; he will make his first career start in the Stanley Cup Final after getting the win in Game 4 with 22 saves on 23 shots in relief of Stuart Skinner, who was pulled after the first period. Pickard also made seven saves on eight shots in relief of Skinner in Game 3.
Pickard is 7-0 with a 2.69 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage this postseason. It will be his first start since May 8, which was Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Second Round.
“It’s exciting, a good opportunity for me, obviously,” Pickard said. “It feels like another game for me. Obviously getting the time in last game and not having much time to think about it and not having much room for error, then obviously our team really battling back and getting the win, it gives us confidence.
“The building is going to be electric tonight. It’s definitely going to be an exciting day.”
Here is a breakdown of Game 5:
Panthers: Florida is not expected to make any lineup changes for the second straight game. The Panthers have scored first in three consecutive games. They’re 11-3 in the playoffs when scoring first, but that includes losing Game 4 after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first. They’re 3-4 when allowing the first goal. Sam Bennett has scored in five consecutive road games since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. He can become the fifth player in NHL history to score in six straight road games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bennett, who has a League-leading 14 goals this postseason, can also be the fourth active player to score at least 15 in a single postseason. Edmonton forward Zach Hyman scored 16 last year.
Dan Rosen, Amalie Benjamin, and Derek Van Diest preview Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final
Oilers: In addition to Pickard getting his first start, forward Viktor Arvidsson will be back in the lineup, replacing Kasperi Kapanen. Arvidsson was a healthy scratch for Game 4 after playing five consecutive games. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch indicated the quicker turnaround with travel in between is a reason to go with Arvidsson, who comes in fresh having not played since Monday. Troy Stecher will remain in the lineup despite the fact the defenseman did not play after a 14-second shift early in the second period of Game 4. Draisaitl leads Edmonton with four goals in the series, including two in overtime. He didn’t score in the Cup Final last year. McDavid still doesn’t have a goal in the series, but he has a series-high six assists. The Oilers are still having issues on their penalty kill; they are 14-for-21 in the series (66.7 percent) and 66.2 percent this postseason.
Number to know: Three. The three comeback wins in this series are the most in a Cup Final since 2022, when there were three in the six-game series between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. If Game 5 is also a comeback win, it will mark the first time since 1987 that a Cup Final has featured at least four comeback victories. It has happened six times; five in 1987, 1971 and 1950, and four in 1980, 1978 and 1964.
What to look for: Special teams and which team does a better job of staying out of the penalty box. The Oilers have been called for five high-sticking minor penalties in the series, with Evander Kane guilty of three. They have to keep their sticks down. Florida has two delay-of-game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass, including Tomas Nosek‘s infraction that led to Draisaitl’s power-play goal to win Game 1 in overtime. The swings in Game 4 all came on special teams. The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two power-play goals from Matthew Tkachuk in the first period. Edmonton started its comeback on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play goal early in the second. Three of Florida’s six goals in Game 3 came on the power play. Draisaitl won Game 1 with a power-play goal in overtime. In a series as tight as this, with three of four games going to overtime, special teams and discipline could be the difference in who has a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 on Tuesday.
“Every series, we get into our mindset is it’s going to go seven. Right now it’s 2-2 and it’s the best-of-3. We like to grind. We have a grinding game, and we have to play physical. We like it when it goes longer.” — Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe
“Pressure is a privilege. It’s just hockey. It’s fun. We’re down to two teams and Game 5. There’s probably 650 other people that want to be in this position, so just enjoy it.” — Oilers forward Corey Perry
Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer — Tomas Nosek — Jonah Gadjovich
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt — Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Uvis Balinskis, Jesper Boqvist, Jaycob Megna, Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm
Injured: None
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Corey Perry
Jeff Skinner — Adam Henrique — Trent Frederic
Evander Kane — Mattias Janmark — Viktor Arvidsson
Mattias Ekholm — Jake Walman
Brett Kulak — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Troy Stecher
Calvin Pickard
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Ty Emberson, Kasperi Kapanen, John Klingberg, Max Jones, Derek Ryan
Injured: Zach Hyman (wrist)
Status report
Pickard will make his first start of the Cup Final after relieving Skinner in each of the past two games. … Arvidsson will replace Kapanen, a forward. … The Panthers held an optional morning skate.
FLA vs. EDM
FLA vs. CAR | EDM vs. DAL
FLA vs. TOR | CAR vs. WSH | DAL vs. WPG | EDM vs. VGK
OTT vs. TOR | FLA vs. TBL | MTL vs. WSH | NJD vs. CAR
STL vs. WPG | COL vs. DAL | MIN vs. VGK | EDM vs. LAK
