The Edmonton Oilers played their most complete game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday night. With an 8-1 beatdown over the Florida Panthers, the Oilers live to fight another day.
Game 5 is back in Florida on Tuesday night.
The energy in the building was electric. The depth produced and the stars produced. Right from the puck drop the Oilers were the better team, and proved to the hockey world that they belonged in the battle for the Stanley Cup.
They are still down 3-1. There is a long road back to a seventh game, let alone a Stanley Cup Victory. But this was no 3-2, skin of their teeth win. This was complete and utter domination, and there’s a lot to build on heading back to Sunrise.
Oilers’ Depth Produce Once Again
Before Saturday night, the Oilers had scored four goals in the entire series. Zero of them were scored by players named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Out of the eight goals scored tonight, McDavid was the only one of those two players who scored, and it took three goals to get one of them in the point column.
Three minutes into the first period, and on the penalty kill, Connor Brown roped a perfect pass to Janmark on a 2-on-1 to start of the scoring.
Four minutes later, Janmark got his second point of the night on a pass to Henrique to give the Oilers a two-goal lead.
McDavid scored early in the second period to bring the lead to 4-1, and after that, the depth put this game on ice. Holloway(2), Nurse, Nugent-Hopkins, and McLoed netted the remainder goals.
The Oilers chased Sergei Bobrovsky from the net for the first time this postseason.
You have read about the lack of depth on Total Apex and other outlets all spring long. The Oilers have had many things to harp on them about in this series, but their depth has shown up and done their part.
Refusal to Pump the Breaks
The 2023-24 Edmonton Oilers, especially in the post-season, have been notorious for building a lead and leaning on their defense play to bring it home. It’s even cost them a few wins along the way.
Saturday, they showed a deep determination to extend this series and stay alive.
After going up 2-0 early in the contest, Vladimir Tarasenko brought the Panthers to within one. Within 4 minutes, the two-goal lead was restored, heading into the locker room 3-1 going into the second period.
With seven minutes left in the middle frame, the Oilers had built a 6-1 lead.
You can point to games against Vancouver and Dallas where a multi-goal cushion evaporated into thin air. This was a type of resolve and belief that we have not seen so far in the Finals, and it’s hard to not get sucked back into believing in this team.
Skinner’s Brilliance Overshadowed by Offense
When you see an 8-1 score, you don’t automatically think about the winning team’s goaltender. To that point, when the score was 6-1, Florida managed only 18 shots on goal, and only four in the second period.
But make no mistake, Stuart Skinner was magnificent tonight and should be very proud of helping to manage the lead, especially early on.
With the game 2-1, Carter Verhaeghe had a brilliant chance on a 2-on-1. Skinner stretched across the crease making an even more brilliant save. If that puck goes in the net, we’re talking about a tied game, and who knows what the outcome would have been.
Even with a five-goal lead in the third, the Panthers had 15 shots on goal, and Skinner stopped every one of them.
Skinner needs to be good not great for the Oilers to come back in this series. He doesn’t necessarily have to be better than Bobrovsky either, but on this night he was, and the Oilers still have life.
McDavid Makes History While Leading His Team to Victory
Back in 1988, Wayne Gretzky set the all-time playoff assist record with 31 in a single post-season. There are 11 seasons in NHL history where a player had 25 assists or more in the spring. Gretzky has five of them. Well, on Saturday, his crown was finally removed and placed on the head of Connor McDavid, who now has 32 assists so far in the 2024 Playoffs.
McDavid had a goal and three assists in Game 4, adding to his legacy as one of the greatest talents we’ve ever seen on the ice. There’s one thing missing from his mantle. The Stanley Cup and the Oilers will hope to live to see yet another day on Tuesday.
For More Great Content
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
About The Author
Marc Sautter is a self-proclaimed sports addict, with the NHL being his specialty. After being a sports fan from afar, Marc made a career change in his 30s to cover sports through journalism and podcasting. His daily NHL preview and betting show “Pucks Across Borders” airs every weekday morning. In addition to hockey, you can read his work on the Canadian Football League all summer on Total Apex Sports.
