And just like that, we have a series! The Oilers were toast only a few days ago. They were down 0-3 in the finals series and were desperately looking for just one win. They got it in a BIG way, scoring five goals on only 16 shots against Sergei Bobrovsky, who had been nearly perfect until then. The Oilers scored three more goals after Bobrovsky was replaced, winning 8-1. A great confidence booster for Edmonton, but they were still behind the 8-ball having to go back on the road to Florida for game five. The Oilers knew this would not be easy. The Panthers home crowd was 60 minutes away from celebrating a Stanley Cup.
You could feel the energy amplify as the Panthers went on an early power play in the first period thanks to a high-stick penalty called on Brett Kulak. But that energy evaporated when the Oilers Connor Brown scored a shorthanded goal to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. The Oilers quickly added two more goals in the first five minutes of the second period that sent a shock of reality through the Panthers bench. In an instant, the Panthers found themselves on the opposite side of a momentum they had retained for the first three games of the series. Florida had controlled the momentum in the first three games of the series, but had lost it in game four. Game four felt like it could have been a fluke, that the Panthers got caught sleeping or wanted to wait to win it at home. This was not the case. The Panthers felt this shift late in game five and brought it back within one goal (4-3) late in the third period, but an empty netter by Edmonton put the nail in the coffin, winning game five 5-3.
Florida now finds themselves in a very uncomfortable position when only a few days ago they were in an A+ spot. They have to make the 2,500-mile trip back to Alberta now after losing two games in a row, giving up 13 total goals in those two. Connor McDavid has come alive in a massive way for the Oilers, with eight points in those games (most in two-game span of Stanley Cup Final). Not to mention they have to play in front of the most hostile crowd in hockey who will be juiced now that they are back in this series. If the Oilers can win game six on Friday night, it will make for all time theater in game seven.
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