In a thrilling Stanley Cup Final rematch, Carter Verhaeghe delivered the decisive tiebreaking goal in the third period as the Florida Panthers edged the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 on Monday night. The Panthers, defending Stanley Cup champions, managed to pull out the win despite being without star forward Aleksander Barkov, who missed his second consecutive game due to illness.
Florida received a well-rounded scoring effort with goals from Niko Mikkola, Sam Reinhart, Jesper Boqvist, Matthew Tkachuk, and Gustav Forsling, while Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall in net with 25 saves. On the other side, the Oilers saw goals from Zach Hyman (two), Leon Draisaitl, Kasperi Kapanen, and Connor Brown, but their five-game winning streak came to an end. Connor McDavid contributed three assists, and goaltender Stuart Skinner made 22 saves.
The pivotal moment of the game came late in the third period when Verhaeghe capitalized on a sharp feed from Sam Bennett. Bennett’s centering pass from the left corner set Verhaeghe up perfectly to beat Skinner. The Florida forward faked Skinner into dropping and fired a shot into the top left corner with 6:55 remaining, giving the Panthers a 6-5 lead.
Earlier in the game, the Panthers struck quickly while short-handed. Just 2:42 into the first period, Jesper Boqvist stole the puck from a stumbling Evan Bouchard and converted a breakaway for his fifth goal of the season. The short-handed tally was Florida’s league-leading eighth this year and snapped a 214-minute scoring drought after consecutive shutout losses.
Despite missing Barkov, Florida’s depth shone brightly. Tkachuk, Reinhart, and Forsling each found the back of the net, helping the Panthers weather Edmonton’s potent offense. Verhaeghe’s late heroics capped off a performance that showcased Florida’s ability to persevere under pressure.
For the Oilers, Zach Hyman had an eventful night, scoring twice and reaching the 200-goal milestone in his career. Hyman’s second-period goal, assisted by McDavid, marked his seventh in six games since returning from injury. Hyman’s perseverance was on full display after a scary moment in the second period when he took Bouchard’s power-play shot to the face. Bleeding heavily, Hyman exited for repairs but returned for the third period wearing a full face shield.
Florida’s short-handed goal early in the game set the tone, marking their eighth of the season to lead the NHL. The Panthers managed to break out offensively after two straight shutouts, a critical turnaround during their road trip.
Leon Draisaitl extended his impressive streak with his sixth consecutive multi-point game. Over the stretch, Draisaitl has racked up 15 points and now leads the NHL in goals (23), even-strength goals (18), and game-winners (seven). Hyman continues his red-hot form, with 10 goals on the season and seven in his last six games.
Hyman’s second-period tally marked his 200th career goal, further solidifying his offensive contributions alongside McDavid.
The Florida Panthers will finish their five-game road trip with a visit to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, while the Edmonton Oilers return home to host the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
