With the series tied heading back to Edmonton, it was a question of how the Panthers would respond after letting Game 4 slip through their fingers. The answer to that question was a textbook-perfect Florida Panther game—tight defensive structure anchored by Bobrovsky, players making plays in big moments, and relentless pressure. Now the Cats have the chance to win their second straight Stanley Cup on home ice.
Bobrovsky Sets The Tone:
HC Paul Maurice said that Bob making some big saves early in the first period set the tone for the rest of the game. Brown had a dangerous chance early, but Bob made a glove save on it. More impressive was the save he made while being unsteady on his feet and partially falling back with the defense there to back him up and clear out the loose puck. Edmonton was buzzing early, but Bobrovsky was locked in. He came up big in the second period as well, where the Oilers got more o-zone time and Sergei made important saves during the penalty kills. He was crucial on the PK with all three kills being down one of its important members. Jones in the first period was called for interference, Ekblad got called for tripping early in the second, and Reinhart went to the box for delay of game four minutes after Ekblad’s penalty. Although McDavid scored his first goal of the series, it didn’t come until the third period, and Bobrovsky had shut down some great scoring chances from him earlier in the match. Perry scored the only other Oilers’ goal as Bob ended the night with a .905 SV%, stopping 19 of 21 shots. Gadjovich said it best when he was handing out the game puck: Bob is Bob.
Defensive Machine:
Florida played its best defense of the series with strong gaps and guys laying the body on the line to keep pucks out of the net. The Cats allowed no shots from the slot and only five shots from near the crease; everything else was from the faceoff or near the blue line. Forsling was a nightmare for Edmonton all night as he was perfectly placed to deny chances, break up plays, or block shots. The PK was a perfect 3/3 on the night, even with key pieces in the box. It was a full team effort that resulted in 17 blocked shots and forced chances to the outside. While Florida bent a bit in the second period, where Edmonton had a strong push, they maintained their 2-0 lead going into the final period of play. Time and space were virtually non-existent for the Oilers while Florida added 31 hits to the match for good measure. This type of game is how the Panthers wear teams down over the course of a series, and it’s one of the big reasons why they’re built for the playoffs. The full team buy-in to play strong defensively is the cornerstone of the team identity.
Big Names Big Plays:
The two players who didn’t score in Game 4 opened the scoring in Game 5. Brad Marchand had two highlight-reel worthy goals that were nearly identical. The first goal of the game came right off the faceoff as Marchand bolted down the ice with the puck to split the Oiler defense and took a shot far side that hit the post and bounced in to break the ice. His second goal came in a similar fashion, where Marchand had the jump off the faceoff. A great stick from Luostarinen got the puck ahead to Brad, where he outskated Walman and snuck the puck in the 5-hole for the 3-0 lead in the third period. Sam Bennett got the second goal of the first period, where he picked up the rebound on the blocked Tkachuk shot, and shot the puck past Pickard for the 2-0 lead. Barkov’s hard battle along the wall allowed him to make the pass to a wide-open Reinhart, who scored a response goal and restored the three-goal lead after McDavid cut it to two. Luostarinen had an impressive empty net goal that he shot roughly 150ft down the ice for the final 5-2 score. The Cats have now tied the NHL record for most road wins in a single postseason at 10, Marchand has scored the most goals in a Cup Final for players aged 35 or older, Bennett and Marchand are the first teammates in 52 years to each score at least five goals, and the Cats move into 8th place all time for most single postseason goals at 89 which is the most by any club in 31 years. The Cup will be in the building in Sunrise, so we’ll see if the Panthers have learned from last year’s struggles.
ITR 45: Everything Is Happening – Inside The Rink
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