Oilers beat the Panthers 8-1 in Game 4 to avoid being swept in the Stanley Cup Final
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are not ready for their offseason to begin, and the Stanley Cup Final is heading back to Florida after they made that statement loud and clear.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are not ready for their offseason to begin, and the Stanley Cup Final is heading back to Florida after they made that statement loud and clear.
McDavid scored his first goal of the series as part of a four-point performance, Stuart Skinner was spectacular in making 32 saves and the Oilers routed the Florida Panthers 8-1 in Game 4 on Saturday night, chasing Sergei Bobrovsky and avoiding a sweep. Game 5 is Tuesday in Sunrise.
“We did our job on the offensive side today, but it’s just one win for us,” star center Leon Draisaitl said. “We have to get better and keep putting it together.”
The Panthers’ party will have to wait after a complete meltdown from a team with many players who have never been this close to hoisting the Cup. Bobrovsky was part of that, getting pulled five minutes into the second period after allowing five goals on 16 shots — more than he gave up in the first three games of the series combined.
Whether it was a last-gasp effort in front of a jacked up home crowd hoping to see the start of a historic comeback or the breakthrough coach Kris Knoblauch has been foreshadowing, the Oilers from Skinner in net out were dominant in every facet of a game they needed to win to keep the NHL season going.
Rating: 5