Leon Draisaitl scores another overtime playoff goal, leading the Oilers to victory over the Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup.

Oilers Tie Series with Overtime Win Against Panthers

Sunrise, Fla. — Leon Draisaitl scored a crucial goal in the fourth overtime, helping the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. This victory ties the series, reversing a trend of trailing by three goals.

Jake Walman put the Oilers ahead, finding the net with just 19.5 seconds left in the third period after a strong push with 6:24 remaining.

Interestingly, three of the first four games in this series have gone to extra time, a rarity not seen since 2013 and just the fifth occurrence in NHL history.

Draisaitl’s overtime goal at 11:18 marked the fourth overtime period played between these teams, shifting the momentum back to Western Canada.

Game 5, which has become a classic showdown between these two hockey giants, will take place Saturday night in Edmonton.

The Oilers made history as the first road team to come back from a three-goal deficit in the third period to win a finals match since the Montreal Canadiens did it against the Seattle Metropolitans in 1919.

In the context of finals history, only three teams have managed such a comeback since 2006.

Edmonton rebounded remarkably, especially after looking like they might be swept from the series. They fell behind 3-0 in the first period, with two goals from Matthew Tkachuk, the second of which, by Anton Lundell, came with just 41.7 seconds left in the period.

Coach Chris Noblauch made a bold decision to pull starting goalie Stuart Skinner after allowing three goals on just 17 shots.

In came Calvin Picard, the backup who had previously started all six playoff games before getting injured. Picard’s performance was noteworthy; he made several impressive saves, stopping the first 18 shots he faced and setting the stage for an incredible comeback.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored during Edmonton’s first power play, and soon after, Darnell Nurse found the back of the net against Sergei Bobrovsky. Vasily Podkoltsin then added another, making it 3-3 with five minutes left in the second period.

The Oilers weathered a few tense moments early in the third, relying heavily on Picard to keep them in the game. As the tension built, Walman fired a puck past Bobrovsky, bringing cheers from the crowd, including notable fans like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Panthers fans had a brief moment of hope when Sam Reinhart tied it late in the game, but that excitement was quickly muted when Draisaitl struck back.

Hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, and Henrik Lundqvist were in attendance, eager to see a different outcome than last year, when the Panthers claimed the Cup for the first time in franchise history after forcing Game 7 against the Oilers.