The best-of-7 series is now tied 2-2. Game 5 is tomorrow (NZT) from Edmonton’s Rogers Place.
Reinhart’s goal was the latest game-tying goal in a Stanley Cup playoff game in Panthers history and the second-latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history behind Corey Perry’s goal with 17.8 seconds left in Game 2 of the series.
But the Oilers got the last strike, with Draisaitl logging his second overtime winner of the series.
The game needed overtime — the third game that went beyond regulation in the first four contests of the series because Edmonton mounted a ferocious comeback after falling into a three-goal, first-period deficit.
Florida jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on a pair of Matthew Tkachuk power-play goals — one at five-on-three, another at five-on-four and an Anton Lundell goal set up by a Carter Verhaeghe forecheck behind the Oilers’ net.
The Panthers’ first period was so dominant — Florida leading 34-15 in shot attempts, 17-7 in shots on goal, 22-5 in scoring chances and 13-2 in high-danger chances — that Edmonton pulled starting goaltender Stuart Skinner for backup Calvin Pickard for a second consecutive game.
But the Oilers, who are essentially fighting for their life, weren’t going to go down easy.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on the power play 3min 33sec into the second period; 3-1.
Then Darnell Nurse scored top shelf from a wide angle 12min 47sec into the frame; 3-2.
And then Vasily Podkolzin took a Nurse rebound and fired it into the back of the net 15min 5sec into the period.
Just like that, it was 3-3 going into the second intermission.
In the third period, Edmonton managed to take advantage of a long Panthers shift and executed when it got in Florida’s zone. Kasperi Kapanen got the puck in the slot from Nugent-Hopkins, paused for a moment and then pushed the puck to Jake Walman, whose slap shot got past Bobrovsky to give Edmonton its only lead of regulation.
Reinhart gave the Panthers life, but only for so long.
And now the series is tied. — Field Level Media
