The good news for Edmonton Oilers fans is Connor McDavid scored. The bad news is that Brad Marchand scored more for the Florida Panthers.

Florida took another step toward a repeat Stanley Cup thanks to a 5-2 victory on Edmonton ice to push the series to 3-2.

"The more times you're in a situation like this, the more comfortable you're going to be," Sam Reinhart told reporters post-game. "We've been staying in the moment very well all post-season, and it's just about handling your day."

Edmonton came out with vigor, and Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had to be sharp. Connor Brown got the first good chance of the game with an early breakaway, but 'Bob' was there to make the stop. When Bobrovsky needed help, his defensemen and forwards did a great job either clearing pucks out of danger or getting their sticks in lanes to deflect away potential Oilers chances.

That solid play paid off midway through the period when Marchand made an incredibly heady play off a center-ice faceoff.

Marchand anticipated the draw and grabbed the puck, losing Vasily Podkolzin in the process. Marchand then snuck through the Edmonton defense and put a wrister past Calvin Pickard for a 1-0 Cats lead. No. 63 nearly helped Florida get another when he sent a pass across Pickard to a wide-open Eetu Luostarinen, but the big Finn couldn't get enough on the puck. 

The Panthers would indeed get their two-goal lead late in the first, however. Edmonton D-man Evan Bouchard blocked a Matthew Tkachuk shot, but the rebound went to Sam Bennett, who rifled one in from between the hashmarks.

Florida got into a bit of penalty trouble in the second, but came out unscathed. Bobrovsky bobbled a shot and had to be sharp on the Corey Perry rebound and McDavid hit the post another time, but close doesn't count.

Things really revved up in the third and once again, Marchand was in the thick of it. On a very similar play to his first goal, the veteran jumped on the puck off a faceoff and dashed down the ice. This time, he flipped the puck through defenseman Jake Walman before going backhand on Pickard, all with Perry right on his back.

"It started with a great stick at our line from (Luostarinen), and then I just tried to get inside and get the puck on net," Marchand said. "I don't really, to be honest, know what happened. I haven't seen a replay. It just found its way in, so it's a good feeling."

The 3-0 lead was shortlived, as McDavid finally got a goal in the series (though for the record, his assists have been all-timers). The Oilers captain took a nifty pass from Bouchard and buried one in tight on Bobrovsky.

Undaunted, Florida pushed the lead back when Aleksander Barkov stole the puck off Perry behind the Edmonton net, centering a pass for Sam Reinhart, who made no mistake with a wrister to make it 4-1.

In desperation, the Oilers pulled their goalie with five minutes remaining and it nearly paid off soon after, when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' shot deflected off Niko Mikkola's stick and hit the post.

But it was Perry getting the next goal, spinning around from near the blueline with a shot that fooled Bobrovsky with a little more than three minutes to go.

The drama ended with a little more than a minute to play when Luostarinen air-mailed an empty-netter from his own zone to give Florida a comfortable 5-2 lead.

The Oilers are now on the brink of elimination in the Cup final yet again. Last year, they won three straight games to force a Game 7. They just need to win one to tie the series at 3-3, but their opponent is on the edge of glory.

"Knowing that we're in a difficult situation, win our last two games, is something that we're confident that we can do that," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We've been through difficult situations before, and it was just another one that we'll overcome.

Florida has a chance to clinch back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in Game 6 on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in front of its home fans.

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Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After each game of the Stanley Cup final, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Katie Gaus and Michael Traikos react to Game 5 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers with Avry Lewis-McDougall joining live from inside Rogers Place.  

During the game, join the conversation in the comment section and send in your questions. They may end up on the post-game show.

Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Game 5 - Playoff FrenzyWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

Stay tuned to The Hockey News and Playoff Frenzy Live throughout the Stanley Cup final.

Check out the show here.

Promo image credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

In this year’s Stanley Cup final, goaltending has been a major storyline for the Edmonton Oilers. Regular starter Stuart Skinner has been displaced by backup Calvin Pickard, and Oilers fans don’t have consensus on who should be starting Game 5 for the team. But very quietly, the goaltending situation for the Florida Panthers has also proven to be a tricky one, with star netminder Sergei Bobrovsky not performing as consistently as the Panthers undoubtedly hoped.

Let’s be clear – we’re in no way arguing that Bobrovsky should be riding the pine as a healthy scratch in favor of backup Vitek Vanecek. Bobrovsky is a key component for Florida, and that’s not going to change.

Nevertheless, it’s also true that Bobrovsky has contributed in a negative way to the Panthers’ struggles against the Oilers. In particular, Bobrovsky laid an egg in the Game 4 result that ended with a 5-4 overtime for the Oilers. In that Edmonton win, Bobrovsky gave up all five goals on 35 Edmonton shots for a sub-par save percentage of .857. And in the four Cup final games, Bobrovsky has surrendered 14 goals for a goals-against average of 3.50. Obviously, those aren’t the type of numbers you want to see from your netminder.

Bobrovsky has struggled in at least one game in every playoff series this year – and at his worst, in Florida’s second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he posted a save percentage of .882 or worse in four games of the seven-game series. There’s no question he’s bailed out his teammates at times, but he’s also been bailed out by his teammates at other times.

Bobrovsky being erratic will not serve the Panthers well in the three remaining games of the Cup final. Florida doesn’t necessarily need him to stand on his head and steal games at this stage – although that would be nice, given he remains the highest-paid player on the Panthers’ roster at $10-million per season – but if he can just hold off Edmonton long enough for Florida’s offense to pick apart Skinner or Pickard, the Panthers should be able to win their second Cup in as many years.

Bobrovsky has one more season on his contract, and considering he’s now 36 years old, we might see some slippage in his game sooner rather than later. And that process may have already started, given that his regular-season save percentage fell from .915 in 2023-24 to .906 this season. He’s still a workhorse for the Panthers, appearing in at least 50 games in each of the past four seasons. But it might be time next year for Florida to ease up on Bobrovsky’s workload and keep him fresher for the post-season.

For the moment, the pressure is squarely on Bobrovsky – maybe not to the degree it is on Skinner and/or Pickard – and Panthers fans will be watching keenly to see if Bobrovsky can hold the fort. If he puts in another effort like the one he did in Game 4, Florida is going to be in trouble. But if he plays the way he has in most of the Panthers’ playoff victories – not being perfect, but being above-average – the Oilers will be going home without a Cup for the second straight year.

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The Anaheim Ducks took a competitive step forward Thursday by acquiring veteran left winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers. 

Kreider joins a Ducks team that has added other experienced veterans in recent years, including defensemen Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas and forwards Alex Killorn and Ryan Strome. Kreider’s acquisition makes it more clear that the Ducks are in a Pacific Division that’s going to be considerably more competitive next season.

We added up all the standings points in each of the four NHL divisions. While the results aren’t an exact science in discovering which divisions were the toughest, it does give you an inkling of which divisions did the most damage this year.

It’s no surprise that the Pacific had the fewest points, with 710, an average of 88.75. The Atlantic Division led the way with 737 points (92.13), followed closely by the Central Division (735, 91.86) and the Metropolitan Division (713, 89.13). But we’ve got an inkling that the Pacific will be far tougher in 2025-26.

For one thing, you’ve got the Ducks, which still have $32.1 million in salary cap space, even after the Kreider acquisition. Most of Anaheim’s core is under contract, but Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has the money and the motivation to be a big player on the trade and free agent fronts this summer. Despite finishing 21 points out of a playoff spot this season, the Ducks could be quite better next year.

The rest of the Pacific is far from a gallery of mediocrity, either. 

For one thing, the Edmonton Oilers could win the Stanley Cup this season, and they still have two of the top five players on the planet, a deep lineup and a GM, Stan Bowman, who will likely make them better in 2025-26.

The Vegas Golden Knights, which finished first in the division this season, won the Cup in 2023 and are a lock to be a playoff team next year. Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is famous for pulling off big moves to make his squad better, so we anticipate Vegas will lead the Pacific next season.

The Los Angeles Kings finished second in the Pacific and are playoff locks as well. The Kings have a new GM in Ken Holland, who will be rather active in improving his roster with $21.7 million in cap space to use on his pending free agents and acquisitions.

Right away, you’ve got three Pacific teams that are all but guaranteed to be Stanley Cup playoff teams. But the rest of the Pacific is also likely to be better next year.

The Vancouver Canucks finished 11 points out of a playoff spot last year, but they had major injuries and off-ice drama to contend with. If management has settled things down, and if Canucks GM Patrik Allvin makes good use of the $12.1 million he has in cap space, the Canucks should be much more competitive and get back into a playoff position next year.

Meanwhile, the team that was nine points better than Vancouver – the Calgary Flames – might be better next season. This writer thinks the Flames are better off to strip down some of the roster and embark on a fuller rebuild, but that probably isn’t likely, given some of the comments made by Flames GM Craig Conroy. Instead, Calgary may choose to add veterans this summer with the $26.8 million they have in cap space, and that could be enough to push them into a post-season spot.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks round out the Pacific. The Kraken have changed their GM and coach, and they have $19.9 million in cap space, while the Sharks have a young team in a full rebuild that still has a whopping $41.7 million in cap space. Absent some blockbuster moves that bring in many veterans, the Sharks should still be considered a long shot to make the playoffs next year. But the Kraken are another story, as they have a mix of youth and experience that could see them battling for a post-season spot right through the end of the regular season.

That means there are seven out of eight Pacific Division teams that can reasonably be considered to be in the playoff mix next year. That means at least three of those teams, if not four, will miss out on the post-season. 

So while the Ducks took a step forward with the addition of Kreider, they’re still going to battle tooth-and-nail to jump high enough in the Pacific standings to be a playoff team.

The Pacific teams will be in for a heck of a battle from Game 1 to Game 82, and Pacific team fans are going to have much to cheer for right out of the gate. It’s going to be a blast, and the Pacific is going to be vastly better next year.

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The Hockey News Big Show is here to break down the Stanley Cup final and look at some big topics around the NHL and beyond, with longtime coach Bruce Boudreau giving his expert insight.

Which Oilers Player Is More Clutch Between Draisaitl And McDavid? by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and Bruce Boudreau discussed in this episode:

1:13: The Oilers made NHL history in the Stanley Cup final by winning a game after trailing 3-0. How does a win like this change things for Edmonton?

5:23: Was the second period more Florida’s fault or all Edmonton’s doing to get back in the game?

6:52: What does Boudreau make of the officiating? 

9:45: Stuart Skinner was pulled after the first period, Pickard went in and shut the door. Were you surprised at all by the goalie pull after the first? And is Pickard the Game 5 starter?

14:34: If you're coaching Florida, what are you saying after that game? How are you ensuring your team is ready to bounce back for a quick turnaround for Game 5? What about Edmonton?

17:11: Do you think Florida is best suited to be unfazed by blowing a 3-0 lead? 

20:48: What has stood out to Boudreau in this series, good or bad? 

25:36: The last Cup final that had more overtime games was Toronto and Montreal in 1951, when all five games required OT. Will this series match that?

28:01: Predictions for Game 5?

30:53: Thoughts on the Chris Kreider trade, and what else should the New York Rangers be looking to do? 

33:17: Should Mitch Marner go to the New York Rangers? 

38:14: Jonathan Toews gears up to make his NHL return, so where do we see him landing?

42:08: Connor Hellebuyck wins Hart Trophy as MVP. Do we agree with this?

43:45: Who is more clutch: Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid?

45:23: This is the best Stanley Cup final since when?

Watch the full Episode here 

Subscribe to The Hockey News Big Show on your preferred platform.

After months of speculation, the New York Rangers traded Chris Kreider, shipping him to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday for a prospect and a draft pick. 

The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau believes the move indicates the two clubs are open for business. For the Rangers, it clears Kreider's $6.5-million cap hit from their books for the next two years, increasing their salary-cap space for next season to $14.9 million with 18 active roster players under contract.

THN.com’s Remy Mastey observed that the cost-cutting move provides Rangers GM Chris Drury with the cap flexibility to be a major player in this summer's free-agent market.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli believes the Rangers could pursue Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov via free agency. Meanwhile, RG.Org's Daria Tuboltseva cited a source claiming they're interested in Ivan Provorov if the 28-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets rearguard hits the open market. 

The trade also raises questions over whether Drury is done peddling current Rangers. 

Trade rumors have dogged defenseman K'Andre Miller and left winger Alexis Lafreniere for several weeks. Miller is an RFA with arbitration rights coming off a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Lafreniere has yet to achieve his much-anticipated breakout performance despite signing a lucrative seven-year extension last October.

Before the Kreider trade was finalized, Larry Brooks of the New York Post wondered if the deal might make Mika Zibanejad more amenable toward waiving his no-movement clause. He noted that Zibanejad and Kreider became inseparable in recent years. 

If Zibanejad waived his clause, finding a trade partner to take on all five years remaining in his contract could be a tough sell. The 32-year-old center is signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value of $8.5 million. His declining production since his career-best 91-point performance in 2022-23 won't help his value in the trade market.

Meanwhile, there's growing conjecture over the health of Alex Pietrangelo. 

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun recently cited sources around the league suggesting the 35-year-old Vegas Golden Knights defenseman could end up on long-term injured reserve for the remaining two years of his contract. The Hockey News’ Julian Gaudio cited Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman saying Pietrangelo's health was in question for 2025-26, but he had no confirmation as to the seriousness of his injury status. 

Pietrangelo skipped playing for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to prepare for the playoffs. Friedman indicated this could be a situation where the Golden Knights are trying to determine the veteran defenseman's health before the start of next season.

If Pietrangelo is questionable for the start of next season, the Golden Knights could put him on LTIR and use the cap savings on a major signing in this summer's free-agent market. However, that only works if he's out for the entire regular season. If he returns at any point during the season, the Golden Knights must shed salary to accommodate his return.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

This Stanley Cup final rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers has been so tight after four games that three of the four games required overtime.

Games 1, 2 and 4 have required at least one extra frame. The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime-winner in Game 1, while Brad Marchand was the hero for the Panthers in Game 2. 

It didn’t seem like Game 4 would need an extra frame after Florida took an early 3-0 lead and then blew it to trail 4-3 to the Oilers late in regulation.

Another clutch moment transpired as Panthers right winger Sam Reinhart equalized with 19.5 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime yet again.

But for Florida, Reinhart’s goal was put to waste when Draisaitl won Game 4 for Edmonton to tie the series 2-2. This was his second overtime-winner in this series and fourth in the playoffs, an NHL single-playoff record.

The 100th Stanley Cup final game to go to overtime in NHL history also puts this series in a likelier scenario to tie a 74-year-old record of most overtime games in Cup final history. 

The Oilers and Panthers have already matched six other Stanley Cup finals in second place with three games that required overtime.

The last time a final had three games go to overtime was in 2014 between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. The Kings won that series in five games, thanks to a famous Alec Martinez series-clincher in overtime of Game 5.

Only one final had more overtime matchups.

In 1951, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a five-game series. All those games went to overtime, and four of them ended 3-2. (Check out the article from the April 28, 1951, issue of The Hockey News for more.)

With at least two more games to play in this final between the Panthers and the Oilers, there is a possibility that there could be another game that requires the extra frame.

That would give this series sole possession of the final with the second-most games that went to overtime and a chance to tie the 1951 Leafs and Canadiens record. And with that, we will quote Fifty Mission Cap by The Tragically Hip for some more information about that ’51 final and the player who scored the Cup-clincher.

“Bill Barilko disappeared that summer. He was on a fishing trip. The last goal he ever scored won the Leafs the Cup. They didn’t win another until 1962, the year he was discovered.”

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SUNRISE – Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final was like weather in the Midwest: if you didn't like how it was going, you just had to wait a few minutes.

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers took turns controlling the play, and in the end, it was Leon Draisaitl being the overtime hero yet again and Edmonton tying the series with an incredible 5-4 comeback overtime victory.

Connor McDavid came out flying on the opening shift, but Florida managed to get out without taking any damage. From then on, it was all Panthers in the first.

Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner was under siege early and made some big stops, including a massive sprawling save on Sam Bennett. Edmonton did take away the middle of the ice pretty effectively, and with the way Skinner was playing, his 'Mr. Game 4' reputation seemed to be intact.

Midway through the frame, however, Evander Kane took a high-sticking penalty and one minute later, Darnell Nurse was given the gate for tripping Aleksander Barkov. That gave Florida a 5-on-3 power play and Matthew Tkachuk made no mistake, cashing in on a low wrister after a faceoff win by Barkov.

On the other side of the rink, Sergei Bobrovsky wasn't busy, though he did make a tough stop on an Evan Bouchard blast from the point. Soon after, Mattias Ekholm took a high-sticking penalty on Brad Marchand and once again, Florida went to the power play.

On a somewhat broken play, Tkachuk got his second of the night, picking up a Sam Reinhart rebound at the side of the net and flipping it over Skinner. Things went from bad to worse for Edmonton at the end of the period when Carter Verhaeghe stole the puck from Troy Stecher behind the net, centering the puck for Anton Lundell, who popped one in for a 3-0 Cats lead. The period ended with Florida dominating in shots 17-7 and, truly, in overall game play.

There was drama to begin the second period, as Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner with Calvin Pickard. The gambit apparently worked though, as Edmonton threw the game off its axis.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the party going on the power play, snapping a wrister past Bobrovsky almost immediately. Dmitry Kulikov later took a holding-the-stick penalty and though the Cats survived that kill, the Oilers were clearly beginning to roll.

A surprise snipe from defenseman Darnell Nurse made it 3-2, with the big blueliner going high blocker side on Bobrovsky. After McDavid nearly tied it on a gonzo rush, Vasily Podkolzin came through with a backhand off a centering pass from Nurse. All of a sudden, a game that seemed over early was tied.

Florida nearly retook the lead late, but Mattias Ekholm blocked a Tkachuk shot that was headed for a yawning cage. After two periods, the shots were nearly even. 

The Cats carried a power play into the third thanks to a late Draisaitl elbow on Gustav Forsling, but Pickard was up to the task, making a massive toe-save on Barkov. He followed that up with a couple of big stops on Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen at even strength.

Bobrovsky, not to be outdone, made a huge save on Corey Perry during an Edmonton power play.

The tides turned again when Jake Walman stepped into a slap shot at the faceoff dot and blasted one past Bobrovsky for Edmonton's first lead of the game with a little more than six minutes to play.

With Bobrovsky pulled for the extra attacker, Reinhart found a loose puck and buried the tying goal with 20 seconds remaining.

In overtime, the teams were sharp and the goaltenders had to be too. Bobrovsky survived a scramble early, while Pickard made some 10-bell saves - once with the help of his posts.

In the end, it was Draisaitl playing the winner off Niko Mikkola's leg with 8:42 remaining in the extra frame to secure an improbable win for Edmonton.

The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To Game 4 Between Oilers And PanthersWelcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After Game 5 in Edmonton on Saturday, one of these teams will be won away from winning the Stanley Cup.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After each game of the Stanley Cup final, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Emma Lingan, Michael Traikos and Michael Augello react to a rollercoaster Game 4 of the final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.

Join the conversation in the comment section and send in your questions. They may end up on the post-game show.

Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Game 4 - Playoff FrenzyWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

Stay tuned to The Hockey News and Playoff Frenzy Live throughout the Stanley Cup final.

Check out the show here.

Promo image credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The last time an NHL goaltender won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy as its top netminder in the same season, the year was 2015. And the winner that season was likely Hockey Hall-of-Famer Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. However, Winnipeg Jets star goalie Connor Hellebuyck became the fifth and latest goaltender to do so, taking home the 2024-25 Hart and Vezina Trophies Thursday night.

The 32-year-old Hellebuyck was far and away the league’s best goalie this year. He appeared in 63 games for the Jets this year, posting a 2.00 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. The Vezina win was the second consecutive honor for Hellebuyck, and the third of his nine-year NHL career. Hellebuyck put up a 47-12-3 record this season, becoming the seventh NHL goalie in league history to generate 45 wins or more, and the first goalie to do it since Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby did so in 2015-16.

Certainly, Hellebuyck’s post-season numbers weren’t nearly as dominant. He went 6-7 in 13 playoff games, generating a 3.08 GAA and an .866 SP. But no one could deny he was the league’s premier netminder through the regular season. Fellow Vezina finalists Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning star Andrei Vasilevskiy also had solid seasons, but neither could compare to Hellebuyck. 

The bigger honor, obviously, is the Hart. Only seven other goalies in league history have won the MVP award, and Hellebuyck had to beat out finalists Leon Draisailt of the Edmonton Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning. While these two players had amazing seasons in their own right, it’s hard to deny that Hellebuyck was extremely valuable to the Jets winning the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team. That’s the definition of the Hart award, and Hellebuyck is a deserving recipient.

With his third Vezina, Hellebuyck joins NHL legends Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur as the only goaltenders to win the best goalie award at least three times since the league altered the Vezina voting process prior to the 1981-82 campaign. Hasek won the Vezina six times, Brodeur won it four, and Roy won it three. So Hellebuyck still has plenty of time to climb up that list. And there’s no good reason why he can’t do it.

Obviously, Hellebuyck wants more playoff success than he wants regular-season success at this point in his career. He’s signed to a contract that still has six seasons left at a relatively reasonable average annual value of $8.5 million. If he’d wanted to, he could’ve left Winnipeg and signed with a different team for considerably more money. But the Jets are still one of the most competitive teams in the league, and Hellebuyck is bound to get another chance at winning in the post-season next year.

For the interim, though, he’ll have to be content with being recognized as hockey’s pre-eminent goalie, the NHL’s most valuable player and an icon-in-the-making. Hellebuyck did everything the Jets asked of him this season, and the results he delivered earned him a special combination of awards few hockey players ever achieve.

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