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EDMONTON, Alberta — Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett secured his NHL playoff-leading 15th goal, and the Florida Panthers edged closer to claiming a second consecutive Stanley Cup title by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 5 on Saturday night.
The Panthers improved their playoff road record to 10-3. They have the opportunity to lift the Cup again as early as Tuesday night if they secure a victory in Game 6 at home in Sunrise.
This time, Florida established and maintained a multigoal lead, unlike in a few previous games in the finals. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of 21 shots, making crucial saves at key moments, and benefited from a solid defense that effectively restricted the Oilers’ advances.
Marchand, Bennett and Sam Reinhart provided the offense. Marchand joined Mario Lemieux as the only players in the past half-century to score five-plus goals in a final multiple times, and his 13 career goals in the final are the most among active players.
Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the series after the Oilers fell behind 3-0. Reinhart’s came 46 seconds later to restore the Panthers’ three-goal lead, and by the time Corey Perry scored with 3:13 left, it was too late.
Eetu Luostarinen sealed it with an empty-netter with 1:19 left, silencing the once fired-up crowd for a final time.
Edmonton’s power play went 0 for 3, a product of the Panthers’ aggressive penalty kill knocking McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the top unit out of their usual rhythm.
Calvin Pickard lost for the first time in eight starts this spring, allowing four goals on 18 shots. He got the nod over Stuart Skinner after entering in relief and winning Game 4 to improve to 7-0, a record that is now 7-1.
Skinner could be back in for Game 6, with the Panthers aiming to close things out following another cross-continental trip back to the other corner of North America. They are in this spot after bouncing back from blowing a three-goal lead and falling in overtime in Game 4, taking advantage of their depth to send the Oilers to the brink again.
