Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 57: Oilers stars finally wake up in 8-1 rout over Panthers

The Florida Panthers have found success all series in the Stanley Cup Final, and their reward for that is the Cup itself being in the building already in Game 4. Would they secure their first ever Stanley Cup tonight, or would the Edmonton Oilers start what could be an incredible comeback?

The game got off to a bit of an ugly start for the Oilers, as Edmonton got in trouble again for a knee-on-knee hit, this time with Darnell Nurse doing so to Sam Bennett. However, it was only worth a two-minute minor penalty, and thankfully Bennett returned to the game shortly after.

After review, Darnell Nurse receives a 2-minute minor for tripping Sam Bennett. pic.twitter.com/pComj4akLQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2024

However, that was really the only low point of the game for the Oilers. In fact, on that same power play, they opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal from Mattias Janmark.

MATTIAS JANMARK ON THE PK! OILERS LEAD EARLY IN GAME 4! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/zP7FSCTMhT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2024

A few minutes later, Janmark was at it again, this time making a great pass to set up Adam Henrique in front of the net to make it 2-0.

ADAM FREAKING HENRIQUE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8MrMmQotH9

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2024

A few minutes later, Florida responded. Gustav Forsling took a shot from the point, and Vladimir Tarasenko deflected the puck while skating through the slot to make it 2-1.

WHAT A TIP FROM TARASENKO! 👊 pic.twitter.com/uYgWDobiQR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2024

But the Oilers weren’t going to go into the break with the Panthers having the momentum. Leon Draisaitl set up Dylan Holloway in the zone, and Holloway made a nifty toe-drag move to beat Sergei Bobrovsky and make it 3-1.

A BEAUTY BY HOLLOWAY ADDS TO THE OILERS LEAD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XT9ww2YOVr

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 16, 2024

For the final two periods, it was all Oilers. Only 73 seconds in, Connor McDavid finally got his first goal of the Stanley Cup Final by breaking towards the net and sniping it past Bobrovsky to make it 4-1.

CONNOR MCDAVID HAS HIS FIRST STANLEY CUP FINAL GOAL 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/c4F55wWGiJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 16, 2024

The firsts continued in the second period, as Darnell Nurse got his first of the playoffs, which then resulted in Bobrovsky getting pulled for Anthony Stolarz – also a playoff first.

The @EdmontonOilers are buuuuuzzing tonight! 🐝 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: ABC & @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/Pp9X7OGP3W
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/nMZkyWIrU7 pic.twitter.com/GQyl4FlTnt

— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2024

It didn’t get any better for the Panthers with a new goalie in net. Later in the second, the Oilers found themselves on the power play, and this time Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got his first of the Final.

WE HAVE A RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS STANLEY CUP FINAL GOAL 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/Q1nMEcFso1

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 16, 2024

And then in the third period, Edmonton continued to bury the Panthers. First, Holloway got his second goal of the game courtesy of an excellent pass from McDavid, which established a new NHL record for most assists in a playoff run with 32.

HOLLOWAY GETS HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT 👀 pic.twitter.com/jjK5aw2xD9

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 16, 2024

And then to cap off the night, Ryan McLeod got his second goal in as many games to make it 8-1 for the Oilers.

Ryan McLeod steps into the loose puck and rifles home a beauty, putting the Oilers up by 7!#LetsGoOilers | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/xwmv4YKoxT

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 16, 2024

With the 8-1 win, the Oilers finally leave their mark on the series and punch in a win in the Cup Final. However, they still have a ways to go by still trailing 3-1 to the Panthers. McDavid made his true arrival to the Cup Final in the game by not only getting his first goal, but also finishing the night with four points, while Holloway also had an excellent game with two goals and three points. Stuart Skinner also had a quietly good game in net as well, stopping 32 of 33 shots in the game after a poor showing in Game 3.