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.
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, Fla.
“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.
It started with Mattias Janmark scoring 3:11 in on a 2-on-1 rush with Connor Brown. Janmark staked Edmonton to a two-goal lead less than five minutes later, setting up Adam Henrique for his second career goal in the Cup final 12 years after the game-winner for New Jersey that also prevented a sweep in the final.
The odds remain long for the Oilers, given that the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to erase a 3-0 deficit at this stage of the playoffs and only four teams total have ever done it.
But the belief will certainly be tangible after breaking out offensively and building a lead rather than holding on to protect it, a quality they had in spades through the first three rounds to win the Western Conference. Florida cutting its deficit to one on Vladimir Tarasenko’s goal midway through the first period did not cause Edmonton to fold, with Dylan Holloway answering with the first of his two goals before intermission and fans cheering the home team leaving the ice.
The offense just kept coming. McDavid, the reigning and three-time NHL MVP beat Bobrovsky early in the second and minutes later set up Darnell Nurse for the defenseman’s first goal of the playoffs. That sent Bobrovsky to the bench as Anthony Stolarz came in for his postseason debut.
The Panthers took their frustrations out in a handful of post-whistle scrums. One of them gave the Oilers power play more target practice, and the unit that came into the final looking nearly automatic and started 0 for 12 made them pay with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring on the 5-on-3 advantage.
McDavid, with three assists, now has 32 on this run, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record from 1988 for the most in a single postseason. He had more points Saturday night than in the first three games of the series combined.
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers during the second period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers’ Mattias Janmark (13) celebrates with Adam Henrique (19) after Janmark’s goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) gives up a goal to Edmonton Oilers’ Adam Henrique (19) during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers’ Mattias Janmark (13) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers with teammates during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers’ Dylan Holloway (55) is congratulated for his goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) is scored on by Edmonton Oilers’ Dylan Holloway (55) during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl (29), Brett Kulak (27), Dylan Holloway (55) and Cody Ceci (5) celebrate a goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)