Ryan S. Clarkjun 14, 2025, 11:30pm
Closeryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
Game 5 can serve one of two purposes. As the ultimate edge, it is a reminder that one team is getting from closing Series 4-1 or one team is getting one win by reaching the desired destination. For the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, a 5-2 victory on Saturday in Game 5 with the Edmonton Oilers, will win as they won back-to-back Cups.
Of course, it was uncharacteristic for the Oilers to fight back to win Game 6, and brought Game 7 back to Edmonton. Because the Oilers have never faced exclusion just to encourage any kind of revival. Either way, Game 5 offered both teams the opportunity to gain an advantage in the final series of the season. Ultimately, the Panthers won their 10th road game this postseason, tying an NHL playoff record.
Games and series that are at risk require exams. Let’s take a look at what made the difference between the Oilers and Panthers in Game 5, the players that could potentially impact Game 6 on Tuesday, and what questions will be upcoming.
What are those questions? Let’s say one team (the Panthers) closes the series and another team (the Oilers) has to do with enforcing Game 7 in their second Stanley Cup final.
This game looked like it would go to the Panthers’ plans:
They controlled the pack.
When they didn’t own it, they seemed to maintain control.
They used the power play, restricting the Oilers when they were plundered.
They limited the Oilers to three Heidanger Chances. This details are further amplified considering he entered Game 5, ranked 2nd in Heidanger Chances around 60 this postseason.
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Putting Sergei Bobrovsky in a two-goal lead in the first period took place in one of his generation’s best goalkeepers to make the necessary saves without feeling the attack as the Panthers hampered high-danger chances, high-concentration shots, or both.
Even when Edmonton’s Conor McDavid spotted the opening and Corey Perry scored to trim the lead to two goals for the second time in Game 5, the Panthers still made it difficult for the Oilers to generate the desired scoring chances in key areas. They said they dodged the third-term late barrage of seeing them have 10 shots in goal.
Winning 10 games from home at Sunrise is one of the main reasons why the Panthers have won one victory from another Stanley Cup. And they’ve done everything from scoring five goals to lock out opponents on the road, but we sometimes debate whether this is the strongest victory from the Panthers’ home or the most important victory outside of this year’s postseason 954 area code.
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Corey Perry’s late goal gives hope to the Oilers
Corey Perry notchs his big goal of attracting the Oilers within two goals for the Panthers.
As you can hear it repeatedly, the Oilers started Game 5, where they abandoned another multi-goal period while earning zero. This was a permanent mark against the defensive structure that passed the Western Conference, closing two teams that finished in the top five with goals per game. But against the Panthers? This is now the seventh time in the 13th season of the series, where the Oilers have allowed more than three goals.
There is a comeback as these multiple eras occur frequently for the Oilers. But the problem with the Oilers continuing to run in the game was finding cohesiveness. They had opportunities, including three power play opportunities in the first two periods, but were unable to score while only dropping four shots. Overall, that amounts to the Oilers having two Heidanger chances and a 37.8% shot share, posting only a total of 11 shots that enter the third season.
McDavid scored the first goal of the Stanley Cup final, with Perry grabbing another and earning the Oilers within two goals on separate occasions. Given their closeness and preference for comebacks, it allowed for another gathering. That is until Eetu Luostarinen’s empty net goal seals the contract.
However, being in that position at the end of the game brings the discussion back to the opening point of the Oilers. How different will Game 5 be if it does not allow another multi-goal period to start the game?
3 stars of ArdaÖcal Game 5
Another sublime performance of the Rat King potted two goals. This was the sixth goal in this Stanley Cup final. This is the best player in a year since Esatickanen in 1988, when the Oilers played the Boston Bruins. This was Marchand-Anton Lundell-Eetu Luostarinen’s 13th goal, 5-5 on the line. The next closest trio of this postseason is the 10 Carter Werhege Matszew Tokachuk Sam Bennett.
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The second goal in the Blood Marchand game is for beauty
Brad Merchand illuminates the lamp and gives the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the third season.
Speaking of Bennett, he went on his 15th place in the postseason and his 13th path from home. Bennett has become the fifth player in NHL history to register a six-game road goalsleak in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He joined Brian Prop (7-game road target winning streak in 1989), Mark Schaefelle (6 in 2018), Kevin Stevens (6 in 1991) and Maurice Richard (6 in 1951).
His third period tally was the seventh in the postseason. That goal made it 4-1, being 60th for the Panthers this postseason, 11 more than any other team in a year of Stanley Cup playoff history. Luostarinen’s empty netter was 61, putting the cat first on the list ahead of the team (1993 Los Angeles Kings, 49).
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Sam Reinhart fires it home for the Panthers goal
Sam Reinhart gets the puck past the goalkeeper to give the Panthers a three-goal lead.
Players in Game 6
Performances like Game 5 add to why the Panthers were among many teams who wanted Merchand at the trade deadline. After not scoring in Game 4, his two goals in Game 5 give him 10 goals and 20 points this postseason, and also presents a rather serious argument in winning the Conn Smythe trophy, honoring the Stanley Cup playoff MVP.
Merchand’s production could help the Panthers win another title. It could also lead to Marchand, further strengthening his position as one of the most attractive names in free agency. Championship teams and those who want that title often navigate the meaning of winning while staying on the salary cap.
What made Merchand very appealing with the trade deadline was the fact that he was a proven winner with an expired contract. Is he the idea that it’s a victory away from being the two Stanley Cup winners where the Panthers won again and played a key role? This will leave the Panthers front office with a tough decision in the offseason, where Malkand is part of an unlimited free agent class of eight players, including Bennett and Aaron Eckblad.
Now that McDavid has scored his first goal in the Cup final, was Game 5 the starting point for the best players on the planet to score more in the final match of his team’s season?
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Remember what McDavid did in last year’s Cup finals in games 4 and 5. McDavid may have played some of his most dominant hockey when he helped the Oilers return to the series.
There are many reasons why the Oilers are in their second consecutive Cup final. One of them knows that Leon Draysightle and McDavid can leave at any time, but relies on more depth scoring than a pair of superstars of their generation. Can the Oilers find a way to make the depth of their scoring work for them again, along with Draysightle and McDavid? Or do you need another distinctive performance from their dynamic duo to force Game 7?
These are just a few of the questions that allow the Oilers to determine whether they can mount another comeback, win their first cup since 1990, or win their first cup.
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Conor McDavid responds with the goal of bringing Euler closer
Conor McDavid notches the much-needed goal of pulling the Oilers within two.
Big Questions about Game 6
Can the Oilers repeat what they did last year and force Game 7?
There’s been a lot to say about how the Oilers aren’t out of the series after falling into a 3-0 hole last year, and last year they almost pulled away from what’s unlikely – and will continue to be said.
But what must happen to them to force another game?
Game 5 started like a repetition of Game 4. Among them, after giving up the first period of multi-goals, the Oilers seemed to have given up on one goal and found defensive consistency. So, can they find ways to tie together the types of defensive efforts that will prevent the Panthers from having another multi-goal period? That’s a big problem facing the Oilers, which could be the final game of the season or the second game of the season.
Can the Panthers close the Cup final with their first try?
If there’s a team that knows how dangerous the Oilers are when they’re facing exclusion, it’s the Panthers.
What we’ve seen from the Oilers this postseason is not just the ability to return to the series, but also the ability to shut down a team because they know all the signs of a potential comeback.
What we’ve seen from the Panthers this postseason is that they’ve found a way for their opponents to stay alive. After the Panthers appeared to have gained all the momentum against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they returned to the second round, and the Leafs forced Game 7 using a 2-0 victory in Game 6. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes also lost three in a row, but won Game 4.
Certainly, the Panthers win both series. But it creates some plot about whether the Panthers will win on home ice or be forced to return to Edmonton.
