The Edmonton Oilers managed to even the series in the Stanley Cup final with a surprising overtime win over the Florida Panthers, finishing at 5-4 in Sunrise on Thursday. Adding to the buzz, the game drew a star-studded crowd, including Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey.
Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers sealed the thrilling victory with an overtime goal. Remarkably, this marks Draisaitl’s fourth overtime goal of the playoffs, setting a new NHL record for a single postseason. He also scored the winning goal in Game 1, showcasing his clutch performance.
The Oilers fought back from an early three-goal deficit, which was a bit unexpected, and that made the game incredibly dramatic. The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, thanks to multiple goals from Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell. However, Edmonton quickly regrouped, with goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, and Darnell Nurse bringing them back into contention.
After a tense back and forth, the game reached a stalemate, heading into the final period still tied. Oilers defenseman Jake Walman finally broke through with a goal just under seven minutes remaining. Yet, in a nail-biting finish, the Panthers responded with a last-minute goal from Sam Reinhart, sending the match into overtime.
The extra time was tense, with neither team able to score initially, but Draisaitl struck at the 8:42 mark to secure the win.
The series is set to continue in Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday.
