Panthers one win from repeating as champions after beating Oilers in Game 5 of Cup Final

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Jun 14, 2025

Published in Hockey

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EDMONTON, Alberta — The Florida Panthers are one win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

After four games filled with high-stakes action and a lot of scoring, Florida took advantage of a game that was tighter on both ends of the ice to beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday at Rogers Place.

The Panthers now lead the best-of-7 series 3-2. Their first chance to clinch and secure their second consecutive Stanley Cup is Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.

The win Saturday was Florida’s 10th on the road this postseason, tied for the most in a single playoffs in NHL history. The feat has been accomplished six other times, by the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Washington Capitals in 2018, Los Angeles Kings in 2012, Calgary Flames in 2004, and New Jersey Devils in 2000 and 1995. Five of those six teams won the Stanley Cup, with the Flames the lone exception.

Brad Marchand scored twice and Sam Bennett added another goal for the Panthers, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of 21 shots he faced — with both goals allowed coming in the third period after Florida had built three-goal leads.

Marchand opened scoring 9:12 into regulation after Anton Lundell won a faceoff at center ice and drove between Oilers defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse before sending a wrist shot from the slot past Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard, who started in place of Stuart Skinner.

Bennett made it 2-0 with 1:54 left in the first period when he got the rebound from a Matthew Tkachuk shot and fired from the left circle.

As such, Marchand and Bennett became the first set of teammates to each have five goals in the same Stanley Cup Final series since Yvan Cournoyer and Frank Mahovlich in 1973.

Marchand wasn’t done, though. He pushed the Panthers’ lead to 3-0 5:12 into the third period when he took an Eetu Luostarinen pass in the neutral zone, drove past Oilers defenseman Jake Walman and sent a backhanded shot past Pickard.

Marchand now has six goals in this Cup Final series, the first player to hit a half dozen in a Stanley Cup Final series since Esa Tikkanen in 1988.

Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the series 7:24 into the third period, but Sam Reinhart got Florida back to a three-goal lead 46 seconds later.

Corey Perry got Edmonton back within two goals with 3:13 left, but Florida allowed the Oilers to get no closer. Luostarinen sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

Florida held Edmonton in check all game, including holding them scoreless on three power-play opportunities. It was a more defensively structured game than most of the series, which had seen 32 total goals through the first four games.

That played into the Panthers’ favor.

And now, they just need one more win to secure another Stanley Cup.