Panthers beat Oilers 5-4 in double OT, tying Stanley Cup final series

Kevin Maimann · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 6:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 7

Florida Panthers guardant Brad Marchand scored a breakaway extremity successful treble overtime successful Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals to adjacent the bid with the Edmonton Oilers Friday. 

The 2 teams had been locked at 4-4 aft the first extra 20 minutes of abrupt death.

Panthers prima Sam Bennett notched a power-play extremity conscionable implicit 2 minutes into the commencement of the crippled astatine Rogers Place in Edmonton, kicking disconnected scoring successful a chaotic archetypal play aft Evander Kane was called for a precocious stick.

Kane struck backmost 5 minutes aboriginal for the Oilers, ripping a changeable past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to necktie the game. Defenceman Evan Bouchard then found the backmost of the nett with a agelong wrist shot, giving the Oilers a lead, each earlier the halfway people of the archetypal period. But that lead was abbreviated lived, with the Panthers' Seth Jones striking backmost to adjacent things up 2-2.

The location squad had a large scare when Bennett took a goaltender interference penalty, falling onto Stuart Skinner's outstretched leg soon after, leaving Skinner down connected the crystal and receiving attraction from the trainer. 

Skinner stayed successful net and the Oilers made Bennett wage connected the ensuing powerfulness play, when Connor McDavid acceptable up Leon Draisaitl, hearkening back to his Game 1 overtime victor and bringing Edmonton ahead, inactive less than 13 minutes into the game. 

Eleven penalties were called successful the archetypal frame, which saw the Oilers outshoot the Panthers.

The cats came retired beardown successful the 2nd period, getting back connected the committee with defenceman Dmitry Kulikov firing a wrist changeable done postulation astatine 11:37 to necktie the crippled erstwhile again.

Marchand past took vantage of a discombobulated Oilers powerfulness play, scoring on a breakaway to springiness his squad a 4-3 lead, marking the archetypal shorthanded extremity the Oilers person fixed up during the playoffs.

WATCH | McDavid sets up Draisatl for 1st-period goal:

The Panthers took power of the play successful play two, applying dense violative portion unit and going to the locker country backmost connected top. 

The Oilers couldn't capitalize connected even-strength chances successful a choky 3rd period, and pulled Skinner for the other attacker with 2:33 remaining. 

The Panthers looked similar they had weathered the storm, until Oilers winger Corey Perry deed the apical shelf in a scramble with conscionable 17 seconds left, sending the bid to OT for the 2nd consecutive game. 

WATCH | Perry sends the crippled to overtime:

Both teams were crisp successful the archetypal overtime period, with backmost and distant play starring to chances connected either end. 

Skinner made a show-stopping prevention connected Marchand astir 8 minutes in, followed by a station deed connected the rebound that drew gasps from fans who thought it was a definite goal.

But neither club could hide 1 successful the further 20 minutes, dragging the crippled into a uncommon 2nd OT. 

Another choky overtime play lone went to 8:05, erstwhile Marchand sprung guardant connected a walk from Anton Lundell and recovered the backmost of the nett for his 2nd of the night.

"The guys did a large occupation astatine the enactment turning it over, and a phenomenal walk by Lundy, to get it up and get it done determination and springiness maine capable clip to marque the play," Marchand said, speaking with Sportsnet aft the game.

The Oilers were hoping to grow their bid pb successful the cupful rematch after a 4-3 overtime triumph successful different nail-biter Wednesday.

"Tomorrow you get immoderate remainder and get connected the level and beryllium acceptable for Game 3," Perry said pursuing the game. "They're a bully team, they're going to propulsion america to the max and we're going to propulsion them to the max."

Oilers caput manager Kris Knoblauch said some of the archetypal 2 games could person gone either way.

"Obviously erstwhile you triumph the archetypal 1 you're disappointed you don't travel up and triumph the 2nd one, but we're going determination with the divided and that's good with us," helium said astatine a post-game property conference.

Last year's bid betwixt the 2 teams went the afloat 7 games, with Florida coming retired connected top.

Game 3 goes Monday successful Florida astatine 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT.