Defensive Miscues Doom Florida Panthers In Game 4 Of Stanley Cup Against Oilers

The Florida Panthers dropped a heartbreaker in Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night thanks to an overtime goal by Leon Draisaitl.

Draisaitl’s goal capped off a wild game that saw the Panthers blow a three-goal, first-period lead before heading into the final minutes of the contest looking for the equalizer.

That’s when even more drama unfolded as Sam Reinhart tied the game with about 13 seconds to go, sending the matchup into overtime. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as the Panthers surrendered the game-winner to Draisaitl at the 11:18 mark of the extra frame.

Draisaitl’s game-winner, while scored by this season’s Rocket Richard winner, was one of several preventable goals that spelled the Florida Panthers' downfall.

As we’ve seen throughout the postseason, the Panthers put the pedal to the metal, then seemingly back off. We saw this in Game 6 of the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers dominated Toronto in Game 5, winning 6-1, but then took their foot off the gas in Game 6, losing 2-0.

That was what occurred in Game 4 on Thursday night. The Panthers had the Oilers on the ropes, as they entered the first intermission with a 3-0 lead. It was all Florida to the point where the Cats had chased Edmonton net-minder Stuart Skinner.

With the Panthers seemingly on cruise control, the second period was all Edmonton. The Oilers deserve credit for playing desperate hockey as they sought to get back into the game, which they did.

The Panthers also ran into Calvin Pickard, who put forth a gritty effort to keep the Oilers in the game. The backup goaltender came in to replace Skinner at the start of the second period.

So, it is necessary to dive into the specific instances in which defensive lapses were the eventual undoing for the Florida Panthers.

3 defensive miscues doomed Florida Panthers in Game 4 of 2025 Stanley Cup Final

Let’s start in the second period with the game 3-2. The Oilers had pushed to tie the game, with the Cats holding them back.

On this play, defenseman Niko Mikkola failed to cover Vasily Podkolzin during a shift by Edmonton’s fourth line. Podkolzin beat Mikkola to the puck in the front of the net, scoring the equalizer.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The camera shots during the broadcast captured the Panthers’ reaction following the goal by the Oilers’ grinders.

But that wasn’t all. Here’s a look at the go-ahead goal that Edmonton scored in the late stages of the third period:

This particular sequence began with an atrocious and uncharacteristic giveaway by Aleksander Barkov of all people. The Selke Award winner turned the puck over. Then, Kasperi Kapanen, another grinder, made a sick move on Seth Jones before dishing the puck to Jake Walman.

Walman, who isn’t known for being an offensive defenseman, rifled the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky for the go-ahead goal.

The Panthers would rally to tie the game. But in overtime, Leon Draisaitl was the Cats’ ultimate backbreaker, ending any hopes of a 3-1 series lead.

Here’s a look at Draisaitl’s game-winner:

When watching the replay several times, you'll figure out why Bobrovsky seemed to slide across the crease, allowing the superstar center to get an easy tap-in.

The replay shows Corey Perry rushing to the net, creating a 2-on-1 that Mikkola completely misplayed. Mikkola didn’t slide down to take the pass away. Instead, he committed to the slide too late, forcing Bobrovsky to slide across the crease to take the shot away from Perry.

Draisaitl saw it and banked the puck of Bobrovsky and into the net for the game-winner.

So, three crucial mistakes and three goals led to a missed opportunity for the Panthers to take a commanding lead in the series.

But as has been the tone for the Panthers all postseason, they will follow up this dreadful defensive showing with a clinic in Game 5. The Oilers will be in for a tough and long night if they think they can catch the Florida Panthers flatfooted two games in a row.