Game 4 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals featured plenty of storylines entering the contest at Rogers Place. How would the Edmonton Oilers respond with their backs against the wall? Who would finally help Connor McDavid in this year’s Finals? Would the Florida Panthers claim their first world championship on the road in Canada?!
All of those questions were valid as the Florida Panthers defense has discom-BOB-ulated the Edmonton Oilers over the first three games, surrendering only 4 goals. Oilers captain Connor McDavid had three assists on those four EDM goals in 180 minutes of regulation play as he willed the Oilers’ offense through three games.
The Panthers had limited Edmonton’s prime-time scoring threats. However, Game 4 in Edmonton was a much different story. Sergei Bobrovsky entered the game, stopping 95% of the pucks he faced off Oilers sticks in the series. Unfortunately, a leaky defensive effort and an overall lack of discipline allowed Edmonton to beat Bob five times before he was pulled in the second period.
Edmonton claimed their first game of the series, 8-1, on Saturday night. After an 8-goal outburst in Game 4 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, have the Edmonton Oilers finally arrived in the series? Or will it be too little, too late for the team from up North with the Panthers just one win away from the Stanley Cup?
First-Period Woes for Florida Panthers in Game 4
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It was a bumpy start for the Florida Panthers as the Edmonton Oilers scored twice in the first 8 minutes of Game 4 at the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Once again, the role players changed the scoreboard for the Oilers as Mattias Janmark scored short-handed, followed by Adam Henrique to establish the 2-0 advantage.
Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko responded, cutting the lead in half before the Oilers struck near the end of the period to lead 3-1 at the first intermission. Edmonton fans partied all night with a total of 8 goals in the Game 4 rout.
With an eye-popping goal total like a snowman (8) at the end of the game, hockey fans can easily just blame the goalie for a poor performance. However, Edmonton features a very powerful offense that simply has not scored much in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Bad goaltending was not the case in Game 4. Bobrovsky certainly didn’t have his best outing this playoffs, but the rest of the team failed him and Matthew Tkachuk and Co. know it.
“He’s been unbelievable all year, all playoffs,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “It was more of a wake-up call to everybody. We know he’s going to come back better than ever and, with that being said, none of them were his fault. I still thought he made some unreal saves.”
Connor McDavid’s Sets New NHL Playoff Record
Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the entire hockey world, can now claim an impressive NHL Stanley Cup record. With an assist on Darnell Nurse’s second-period goal, McDavid established a new milestone for helpers in a postseason run with his 30th assist. He added two more in the course of the offensive mugging of Florida on Saturday night. He now has collected 32 assists in 22 games (along with 6 goals).
McDavid passed Wayne Gretzky to set the new NHL record. Connor will have the opportunity to extend the record later this week in Game 5 in Sunrise, Florida.
Fellow Connor and teammate Connor Brown, played with McDavid since his time in juniors with the Erie Otters. Brown, who rejoined his buddy on the Oilers this year as a free agent, has had a front-row seat to McDavid’s work ethic, leading to his NHL-level success. “Connor (McDavid) probably won’t admit it, but you’ve got to feel proud about that. It’s not by accident. I’ve known Connor for a long time, and it’s not an accident; he is the player he is.”
Game 5 of 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals in South Beach
The schedule includes another two-day break between Game 4 and Game 5 to account for the 3,000 miles between the two Stanley Cup combatants. Earlier in the series, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that the league got the scheduling correct, with the additional built-in off days making it “fair” for both sides.
Therefore, Florida Panthers fans and Amerant Bank Arena must wait until Tuesday night for the Stanley Cup party to continue in South Beach. If Florida can tighten things up at home, they might have the special opportunity to lift Lord Stanley high for all of South Florida to see.
About the Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites). With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers.
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