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The Florida Panthers lost Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in overtime. They held a 3-0 lead after the first period, which was gone by the end of the second period. Edmonton then took the lead in the third, but the Panthers fought back, forcing overtime. Even though Leon Draisaitl won Game 4 in overtime, Panthers coach Paul Maurice knows that this is shaping up to be a classic.
“Best two out of three. It’s great for the fans,” Maurice said, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. “Truly, I felt this way about the series last year: I think it’s great for the game.”
“So there’s a mental intensity, mental toughness both teams show,” Maurice continued. “The game’s not going to be over until it is. You get three and four games in a final into overtime, you’ve got two really good, evenly matched teams.”
Through four games, three have gone to overtime. Game 2 was a double overtime affair before Brad Marchand won that game for the Panthers. Games 1 and 4 were decided by Draisaitl, putting him in pole position for Edmonton's Conn Smythe winner. Add in physicality, goalie changes, and the best player in the world, and this is an all-time Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers are back in control of the Stanley Cup Final
After four games, each team has won two games. That means they are down to a best-of-three, with the Oilers retaining home-ice advantage. It took the Panthers all four chances to close out the Stanley Cup Final last year, including Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton. Now, they are going to have to win either Game 5 or Game 7 in Alberta to repeat as champions.
The only blowout of the Stanley Cup Final saw the Panthers beat the Oilers 6-1 in Game 3. Edmonton took a lot of penalties, there were some post-whistle scraps, and Stuart Skinner was terrible. But now, the Oilers are back to Calvin Pickard, who is undefeated in the playoffs. They have swung the momentum back in their favor after just one game, but there is so much time to go.
Last year's Stanley Cup Final will go down in the history books for the 3-0 comeback followed by a Game 7 loss. In the expansion era, since 1967, there have been four other Stanley Cup Final rematches. Panthers-Oilers has the opportunity to become the first of the five to go seven games both times.
Game 5 of the Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final is on Saturday.
