Panthers-Oilers Game 5 Takeaways, Early Look at Game 6

With the Stanley Cup in the building for the second straight game, the Florida Panthers couldn't muster enough in Game 5 to clinch the win, as the Edmonton Oilers pulled away with a 5-3 victory.

The game started off fairly calm, with a 1-0 lead for the Oilers after one frame. Things got crazy in the second half, with five goals combined from the two teams. While the Panthers got within one in the third, they couldn't get the tie and Connor McDavid scored an empty-net goal to end the festivities.

It was a four-point night for McDavid, who continues his climb up the individual playoff points leaderboard. His 42 points in this playoff run are five behind Wayne Gretzky (1985), the most of all time.

We're here to break it all down. Here are our grades for both teams, along with the takeaways that stood out, the key players to watch, and the big questions left unanswered heading into Game 6 (8 p.m. Eastern, ABC/ESPN+).

Panthers grade: B-

Florida was late to Game 5 and ran out of clues to seal the deal on the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship, again.

The Panthers gave up a shorthanded goal less than six minutes into the first period, and that seemed to deflate the team in a way that didn't recover until well into the second quarter. By then, the Panthers were already trailing by multiple goals, a deficit too difficult to overcome at the best of times, let alone when facing a desperate opponent.

Florida finally found its legs and looked dangerous for most of the third period, but while the Panthers' deep skaters showed up, there weren't enough Florida stars: Sam Reinhart? Alexander Barkov? Carter Verhaeghe? — he did the same. Edmonton's elite skaters acted exactly the same as they did that Tuesday. The best Panthers better be prepared to do the same in Game 6.

Greaser grade: B+

Scoring eight goals in Game 4 allowed the Oilers to extend the series. But that was no guarantee they could find cohesion in Game 5; Turns out they did.

Once again, the Oilers scored the first goal and took a three-goal lead. His power play went from searching for answers to searching for more objectives. They had moments where their ability to suppress shots was evident, as was the case when the Panthers failed to get a shot off in the final 14 minutes of the first period. Additionally, they blocked 26 shots in support of Stuart Skinner.

They also had some challenging moments that saw them go into survival mode. In the second half, they allowed 16 shots and two goals, one of them less than 30 seconds after extending the lead to 4-1. That second period surge kept the Panthers within reach before Oliver Ekman-Larsson's goal just 4:04 into the third made life a little challenging for the Oilers. In the final frame, Edmonton only had four shots and allowed 11. However, they had enough to pull this one off.

What we learned in Game 5

Florida special teams are a problem

The Panthers had done a masterful job early in the series containing Edmonton's potent power play. But the Oilers have been turning the tide there, and Florida looks increasingly vulnerable in an area that was once a true strength. Edmonton opened the scoring in Game 5 with a nifty goal from Connor Brown, and then scored two power-play goals.

Meanwhile, Florida never took advantage of its own opportunities and went 0-for-3 on the power play. Closely contested series are rarely won with equal force; Florida must also hold off Edmonton on special teams if it hopes to win a Cup.

Sergei Bobrovsky can't win alone

Florida relied on its exceptional goaltending throughout the postseason. But Bobrovsky was helped by what was once a stellar defensive commitment from the players in front of him.

That has diminished over the last two games, and Bobrovsky has seemed more exposed as a result. Maybe it's the nerves associated with trying to shut down a team and win a Cup, but the once-impenetrable appearance of Florida collapsing on the Oilers in the offensive zone wasn't as evident in the first half of Game 5, and it cost them to the Panthers. a victory.

Florida has to get back to protecting the house and giving Bobrovsky a better chance to do his best work.

That Oilers power play unit could be good going forward

Remember that time when the Oilers power play had a hard time finding shots, let alone goals, and that led to questions about what was going wrong? A power play goal in Game 4 was followed by two more with the added advantage of the skater in Game 5.

McDavid noted that the Oilers are gradually finding answers against opposing penalty kills, and he's right. The Oilers went through similar struggles early in the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars, only to score four power-play goals combined in Games 5 and 6 to close out the series.

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Zach Hyman doubles Oilers' lead with early hit

Evan Bouchard shoots, but the puck bounces off Zach Hyman's stick for the Oilers to score in the second period.

Maybe we need to have a conversation about Evan Bouchard

Bouchard's three assists in Game 5 do more than add to his stellar 2024 postseason: They open up a larger discussion about where he fits within the landscape of the game's best young defensemen.

It's gotten to the point where having a young, puck-moving top-four option has almost become a necessity to win or at least be in a position to win in today's NHL. Miro Heiskanen's 26 points in 27 playoff games in 2020 helped the Stars reach the Cup final and reinforced Heiskanen's reputation. The same thing happened with Cale Makar in 2022, when he finished with 29 points in 20 playoff games and helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.

Bouchard's 32 points in 23 games now have him five points shy of tying Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey's record for most points by defense in a single postseason. And for anyone who hasn't been familiar with Bouchard, this postseason serves as a launching pad to include him in that discussion about the best defenders.

Players to watch in Game 6

Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Panthers

It took until the fifth game, but Tkachuk finally had his best game of the cup final on Tuesday. The Panthers' top forward was a force on both ends of the ice, setting up his teammates, scoring himself and drawing penalties. Tkachuk hadn't had that kind of overall impact yet against Edmonton, and it was much needed, especially if he can channel that energy again in Game 6.

It's no surprise that the stronger Tkachuk became, the better Florida performed down the stretch in Game 5. He should be ready and able to set the tone in Game 6, and his teammates will be prepared to follow suit. since the puck drop.

Connor McDavid, C, Oilers

Choosing McDavid as the player to watch heading into Game 6 is essentially the hockey equivalent of why spring florals are innovative. But at the same time, how could he not be the choice?

He went from not scoring a goal in the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final to having a goal and four points in Game 4 alone. He followed up in Game 5 by scoring two goals and two assists. He is now the favorite to win the Conn Smythe playoff MVP, according to ESPN BET.

While it's the kind of production that comes with the title of being the best player in hockey, let's take a breath and remember that McDavid is doing this during a cup final in which his team went from being swept to forcing a Game 6.

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Connor McDavid plays Oilers hero with 4-point performance

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers back to Edmonton with a two-goal, two-assist night in Game 5.

Big questions for Game 6

Can the Panthers put this series away?

It's one thing to eliminate an opponent in the first or second round of a playoff series. It's another thing entirely for Florida to close the book on Edmonton and claim the Cup.

The Panthers have allowed their opponent to impose too much early in the last two games, and that has put them in position to catch up. The Panthers have now failed to secure either home or away, and Edmonton had every reason to believe it can complete the unlikeliest comeback of this series.

It's time for Florida to prove itself by putting a dagger in the Oilers before this Cup Final gets to a situation in Game 7 that, frankly, Florida just doesn't want to find itself in, especially when McDavid is playing like a code of human trap.

Have the Oilers figured out the forechecking of the Panthers and, in turn, Bobrovsky?

Let's go back to what the Oilers did in the third period of Game 3. Although they couldn't force overtime, they still managed two goals in the fourth quarter, which is the same amount they scored in the series total before that point. Those goals indicated the Oilers might have found a breakthrough against the Panthers' attack and, potentially, against Bobrovsky.

Scoring eight goals in the fourth game reinforced that idea, with the caveat that it was just one game. Scoring a shorthanded goal, a power-play goal and a 5-on-5 goal in Game 5 showed the Oilers could create opportunities in every sequence. McDavid's goal that gave the Oilers a 3-0 lead capped a stretch in which the Oilers scored 12 of the last 13 goals of the series at that point, adding to the belief that they may have finally found answers to your biggest problem.