Panthers-Oilers Game 5 preview: Who'll win pivotal showdown?

13 hours ago 1

ESPN staffJun 14, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The 2025 Stanley Cup Final volition past astatine slightest six games, arsenic the Edmonton Oilers won different overtime thriller implicit the Florida Panthers successful Game 4.

With the bid tied 2-2 heading into Game 5, it's present a best-of-three, making Saturday's crippled each the much pivotal. Which squad volition determination wrong 1 W of the top trophy successful sports?

Here are notes connected the matchup from ESPN Research, arsenic good arsenic betting intel from ESPN BET:

More from Game 4: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Florida Panthers astatine Edmonton Oilers
Game 5 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT/Max

What a quality a crippled makes! Heading into Game 4, the Panthers were -260 favorites to triumph the Cup, with the Oilers astatine +215. Now, the 2 teams are some -110. Sam Bennett (+150) and Connor McDavid (+240) stay atop the Conn Smythe leaderboard -- but Connor's teammate Leon Draisaitl has joined him astatine +240 aft helium tallied the OT crippled victor (his 2nd of the series).

In history, erstwhile a Stanley Cup Final has been tied 2-2, the victor of Game 5 has gone connected to triumph 19 retired of 26 times (.731 triumph percentage).

The Panthers person won their past 3 bid that were tied 2-2: 2022 archetypal circular vs. the Washington Capitals, 2024 league finals vs. the New York Rangers and 2025 2nd circular vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Oilers person won their past 3 bid erstwhile they were trailing 2-1: 2024 2nd circular vs. the Vancouver Canucks, 2024 league finals vs. the Dallas Stars, 2025 archetypal circular vs. the Los Angeles Kings.

The Oilers became the seventh squad to flooded a three-goal shortage to triumph a Stanley Cup Final game, and the archetypal since the Carolina Hurricanes did it to them successful Game 1 of the 2006 finals. They are lone the 2nd squad to execute this feat connected the road, joining the 1919 Montreal Canadiens astatine the Seattle Metropolitans.

The 2 teams person combined to people 32 goals frankincense far, which is the 4th astir done the archetypal 4 games of a Stanley Cup Final successful NHL history.

The OT crippled victor Draisaitl scored successful Game 4 was his 4th specified extremity this postseason, mounting a single-year record. He present owns the grounds for a azygous regular play (six, acceptable successful 2024-25) and a azygous postseason.

After coming successful to regenerate Stuart Skinner to statesman the 2nd period, Calvin Pickard ran his grounds this postseason to 7-0. He is the archetypal goalie to triumph a crippled successful alleviation since Andrei Vasilevskiy picked up the W aft replacing Ben Bishop connected 2015.

Draisaitl and McDavid marque it 5 players successful NHL past to people 30 points oregon much successful consecutive postseasons (2024 and 2025), joining Nikita Kucherov (2020 and 2021), Mario Lemieux (1991 and 1992) and Wayne Gretzky (1983 done 1985, plus 1987 and 1988).

Florida's Matthew Tkachuk became the ninth subordinate successful Stanley Cup Final past to people 2 power-play goals successful a play and the archetypal since Tampa Bay's Brad Richards successful Game 6 of the 2004 finals.

After 3 beardown games to commencement the finals, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky faltered a spot successful Game 4; his .857 prevention percent was his lowest since Game 2 of the second-round bid against the Maple Leafs (.800).

Brad Marchand scored 4 goals done the archetypal 3 games of the bid -- including the crippled victor successful treble OT successful Game 2 -- but was held disconnected of the scoresheet wholly successful Game 4. Will the alteration of venue backmost to Edmonton effect successful his getting backmost connected the board?