On Thursday night, the Florida Panthers were on the doorstep of a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. In Game Four, Florida dominated the opening 20 minutes, playing their usual brand of hockey. Matthew Tkachuk, who hadn't done much in the series, scored two power-play goals at the 11:40 and 16:56 marks, respectively.
With 41.7 seconds remaining, Anton Lundell made the score 3-0 after receiving a nice dish from Carter Verhaeghe, from behind the net. As the teams exited the ice for the intermission, it was clear that the Cats were dominating. The Edmonton Oilers were outplayed, as they only recorded seven shots on goal. Unfortunately, in the middle frame, a common theme resurfaced.
Once again, Florida came out of the locker room flat. They played uninspired hockey. Their speed wasn't there. The aggressiveness dwindled, and it became clear that the Panthers were sitting back, once again. For a second time in this series, Edmonton took advantage. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who's been a game-time decision for the last two contests, scored on the man advantage, 3:33 in.
Tallies by Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkolzin tied the score up at three after the second period. In the final 20 minutes of regulation time, the Cats were slowly getting back to their game, but not before the Oilers got the lead off the stick of Jake Walman. With 20 seconds remaining, Sam Reinhart came in clutch, knotting the score up at four and forcing overtime.
In the extra session, the Panthers were pressing. They were playing with the fire that everyone had become accustomed to. They were winning board battles, keeping the puck in the offensive zone, and putting shots on net. Sam Bennett nearly came close to giving his team another overtime win, as he was alone in front of the net. However, Calvin Pickard, who came into the game in the second after Florida chased Stuart Skinner, barely got his glove on the puck to make a save.
The puck also hit the crossbar. Minutes later, Leon Draisaitl came down the other end and managed to slip the puck between Sergei Bobrovsky to score the game-winning goal. On the play, the puck took an unfortunate bounce off Niko Mikkola before going past the goal line. This was another missed opportunity for Florida, as they also blew a 3-1 lead in Game One. Now, they look to gain a 3-2 series lead in Edmonton on Saturday night.
How To Watch Stanley Cup Final, Game 4
Date: Saturday, June 14 Time: 8:00 PM ET Venue: Amerant Bank Arena TV: TNT, Tru TV, MAX
Panthers vs. Oilers Odds, Spreads, and Total
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Puck Line
Florida +1.5 (-245), Edmonton -1.5 (+200)
Total
6.5 (over +102/ under -122)
Moneyline
Florida +105, Edmonton -125
Florida Panthers Injury Report:
N/A
Edmonton Oilers Injury Report:
Zach Hyman, LW: Out (Upper Body); Alec Regula, D: IR-NR (Knee)
Florida Panthers Projected Lines:
- Carter Verhaeghe- Aleksander Barkov- Sam Reinhart
- Evan Rodrigues- Sam Bennett- Matthew Tkachuk
- Eetu Luostarinen- Anton Lundell- Brad Marchand
- A.J. Greer- Tomas Nosek- Jonah Gadjovich
- Gustav Forsling- Aaron Ekblad
- Niko Mikkola- Seth Jones
- Nate Schmidt- Dmitry Kulikov
- Sergei Bobrovsky
- Vitek Vanacek
Edmonton Oilers Projected Lines:
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- Connor McDavid- Connor Brown
- Evander Kane- Leon Draisaitl- Kasperi Kapanen
- Jeff Skinner- Adam Henrique- Trent Frederic
- Vasily Podkolzin- Matthias Janmark- Corey Perry
- Matthias Ekholm- Jake Walman
- Brett Kulak- Evan Bouchard
- Darnell Nurse- Troy Stecher
- Calvin Pickard
- Stuart Skinner
Scratches: Viktor Arvidsson, John Klingberg
Panthers Keys To the game
Again, the foot needs to be on the gas pedal. That has to be the case at all times. There is no reason for a team to blow a sizable lead, especially when that team gets it early. If the Panthers stuck to their game for the whole 60 minutes, they would've skated home with a 3-1 series lead. When this team is on, they are almost impossible to compete with.
The effort has to be there. A small loss in intensity will cost them another game. Against Edmonton, a team must never let up, because the Oilers can score at any time. A three-goal deficit is nothing for them. If the Panthers get a decent lead in Game Five, they must continue to apply the pressure. A game is never over until it is. The Oilers will always play with desperation, especially if they're down. Florida needs to match that.
Aleksander Barkov has been invisible in this series. The longtime captain of the Panthers has done little when on the ice. Through four games, he has no goals, two assists, and a -3 rating. That is abysmal. As the team's best player, Barkov has to do more, especially now, for the Cats to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Only having 10 shots through four games is not going to cut it. There has to be more production from him. Several of the Cats' top players have contributed at certain points of this series. It's his turn to step up, and this will be the perfect time for him to do so. The team is going to need him to produce something offensively, as Game Five will promise to be the most pivotal contest in the series.
Part of the problem with Florida's in-game collapses is the bench boss. All Panthers fans love Paul Maurice, and they should. However, a team's themes, both good and bad, can extend beyond the players. On top of the Game Four disappointment, Florida also blew a multi-goal lead in the series opener. Several times in these playoffs, they have looked bad.
At this point, it's safe to assume that Maurice doesn't get his players ready to play all 60 minutes every night. If flat starts and regressions in their play happen this many times, blame also has to be put on the coach, too. Also, it seems as if he's too nonchalant on the bench at times. Every once in a while, he'll make a small lineup change in-game. If something isn't working or clicking, he can't be hesitant to use the notorious 'line blender'.
Sometimes, changing up a few lines with different players is a good thing. He also needs to be more vocal on the bench, especially when things are falling apart, like they did on Thursday night. Call a timeout if the team surrenders two goals, back-to-back. Sometimes, the message needs to get across. He needs to have control over his players.
Notes:
- The 32 goals in this series are the fourth most through the first four games of a Stanley Cup Final, trailing 1918 (36 between Toronto Arenas-Vancouver Millionaires), 1981 (36 between NYI-MIN), and 1980 (33 between PHI-NYI).
- The only Stanley Cup Final series that saw at least 40 goals through the first five games are 1973 (46 between MTL-CHI), 1980 (42 between PHI-NYI), 1981 (42 between NYI-MIN), and 2010 (40 between CHI-PHI).
- Four other Stanley Cup Final series have featured overtime in three of the first four games: Blackhawks-Bruins in 2013 (Game 1, 2 & 4), Canadiens-Kings in 1993 (Game 2, 3 & 4), Maple Leafs-Canadiens in 1951 (Game 1, 2, 3 & 4) and Canadiens-Bruins in 1946 (Game 1, 2 & 4). Only the 1951 series (also Game 5) featured extra time in four of the first five games.
- The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is the eighth series to see three or more games require overtime, with 1951 (5 w/ TOR-MTL), 2014 (3 w/ LAK-NYR), 2013 (3 w/ BOS-CHI), 1993 (3 w/ MTL-LAK), 1950 (3 w/ DET-NYR), 1946 (3 w/ MTL-BOS), and 1940 (3 w/ NYR-TOR).
- This 2025 Stanley Cup Final has seen two games where a team overcame a multi-goal deficit to win. The only other championship series in the expansion era to see as many victories is 1987 (3 w/ EDM-PHI), 2014 (2 w/ LAK-NYR), 1973 (2 w/ MTL-CHI), and 1971 (2 w/ MTL-CHI).
- The most multi-goal comeback wins in a single Stanley Cup Final series are three, which happened in 1987 between the Oilers and Flyers, as well as 1950, between the Red Wings and Rangers.
- The 2025 Stanley Cup Final has featured a tying goal in the final minute in multiple contests (Games 2 & 4), the most in any Final in League history.