The Florida Panthers are once again one win away from hockey’s greatest prize. Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett continued his torrid postseason with his playoff-leading 15th goal, and the Panthers seized control of the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 on Saturday night. With the victory, Florida now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can clinch their second consecutive Stanley Cup as early as Tuesday night on home ice in Sunrise.
This time, there was no blown lead, no overtime heartbreak. Just a relentless effort from a Florida squad that looks ready to repeat.
“It was all about responding,” Marchand said. “We gave one away in Game 4, and we weren’t about to let that happen again.”
Florida stormed to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Marchand, Bennett, and Sam Reinhart, building momentum early and keeping their foot on the gas. Edmonton briefly got back in it with a goal from Connor McDavid — his first of the series — but Reinhart answered just 46 seconds later to reestablish the three-goal cushion. Corey Perry added a late goal for Edmonton, but it was too little, too late. Eetu Luostarinen’s empty-netter with 1:19 left sealed the deal and quieted the raucous Rogers Place crowd.
The Panthers improved to 10-3 on the road this postseason, tying an NHL record for most road wins in a single playoff run.
Marchand continued to etch his name into Stanley Cup lore. With his five goals in this series, he joined Mario Lemieux as the only players in the last 50 years to record 5+ goals in multiple Finals. His 13 career goals in the Final are now the most among all active NHL players.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves on 21 shots, anchoring a defensive effort that took away time and space from McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of Edmonton’s potent top unit. The Panthers’ penalty kill was stellar again, holding the Oilers to 0-for-3 on the power play and disrupting their usual rhythm.
“Our penalty kill set the tone,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said. “We were aggressive, we didn’t let them settle in, and Bob (Bobrovsky) made the saves when we needed them.”
On the other end, Calvin Pickard — the surprise Game 4 hero who entered in relief and earned the win — was handed the Game 5 start over Stuart Skinner. He surrendered four goals on 18 shots in his first loss of the postseason (now 7-1). Maurice hinted Skinner could return for Game 6.
Edmonton, which had clawed back from a 3-0 deficit in Game 4 to win in overtime, couldn’t replicate that magic on Saturday. Despite McDavid’s spark and Perry’s late goal, the Oilers never fully recovered from the early onslaught.
Now, the series returns to Florida, where the Panthers will have the opportunity to win the Cup in front of their home fans.
“This is what you dream about — a chance to win it all at home,” said Bennett. “We’re going to be ready.”
Game 6 is set for Tuesday night in Sunrise, where Florida will look to become the NHL’s first repeat champion since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-21. The Oilers, meanwhile, will need another cross-country comeback to keep their title hopes alive.
