The Edmonton Oilers’ goal for Game 5 was to drag the Florida Panthers back to Alberta.
They succeeded.
Both teams are heading back on a plane for the 2,500-mile-plus flight to Edmonton as the Oilers forced a Game 6 with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday night.
Oilers captain and three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid was the driving force again, getting two goals and two assists in Game 5 to give him eight points over the last two games as his team has staved off elimination twice.
It was a total team effort, top to bottom,” McDavid told reporters.
Zach Hyman got his first goal of the final, Corey Perry scored his first of the playoffs after a tremendous stickhandling effort from McDavid and the Oilers’ special teams connected for two power-play goals and a short-handed one.
The Oilers are just the fourth team to force a Game 6 after losing the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers pressed after falling behind 4-1 but couldn’t tie it up in the third period and McDavid scored an empty-netter.
The Panthers will try to end their two-game losing streak and wrap up their first Stanley Cup championship on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC) at Edmonton’s Rogers Place.
“I’m not feeling deflated, neither is the hockey team,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters. “They’re not feeling deflated. A little grumpy.”
