Edmonton, Alberta-Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett had its 15th goal of the NHL playoffs and the Florida Panthers moved to the edge of a second consecutive title of the Stanley Cup by winning the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in game 5 on Saturday night.
The Panthers improved 10-3 on the way in these playoffs. They can raise the cup again as soon as Tuesday night if they win the game 6 in the ice at dawn.
This time, Florida built a multigure leadership and was based on it, unlike a couple of previous games in the final. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced, making some important salvages when necessary, and was helped by a block defense that took the ice to the oilers.
Marchand, Bennett and Sam Reinhart provided the crime. Marchand joined Mario Lemieux as the only players in the last half century to score more than five goals in a final several times, and his 13 goals in the final in the final are the most active.
Connor McDavid scored his first goal from the series after the Oilers were left behind 3-0. Reinhart arrived 46 seconds later to restore the advantage of three goals from the Panthers, and when Corey Perry scored with 3:13 remaining, it was already too late.
Eetu Luostarinen sealed it with an empty network with remaining 1:19, silenced the crowd once excited for a last time.
Edmonton’s power game was 0 for 3, a product of the aggressive penalty of the Panthers, killing McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the upper unit of his usual rhythm.
Calvin Pickard lost this spring for the first time in eight openings, allowing four goals in 18 shots. He obtained the approval of Stuart Skinner after entering relief and winning game 4 to improve 7-0, a record that is now 7-1.
Skinner could return to game 6, with the Panthers with the aim of closing things after another intertinental trip back to the other corner of North America. They are in this place after bouncing from flying a three -goal advantage and falling in extra time in game 4, taking advantage of their depth to send the oilers to the edge again.
