Schmidt and Verhaeghe score in the 3rd, Panthers top Oilers 4-3 in Cup final rematch
SUNRISE, Fla. — — Nate Schmidt and Carter Verhaeghe had third-period goals, Anton Lundell had a goal and two assists and the Florida Panthers topped the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night.
Uvis Balinskis also scored for Florida, which jumped Toronto for first in the Atlantic Division.
Leon Draisaitl scored his 44th goal for the Oilers, who also got goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman.
It was Edmonton’s first time on the Panthers’ ice since June 24, when Florida topped the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers won the clubs’ first meeting earlier this season, prevailing 6-5 at Edmonton on Dec. 16.
Both teams had 12 players on the ice Thursday from the lineups that they used in Game 7 of the title series.
Takeaways
Oilers: Edmonton has dropped five straight, the Oilers’ longest slide since dropping six consecutive games in December 2021. The Oilers have allowed at least four goals in all five of the losses during the stretch.
Panthers: Florida was again without Matthew Tkachuk because of a lower-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. “He’s out near-term, we know that. We’re just making sure that we get … different ideas on treatment plans,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
Key moment
Hyman got the Oilers within 4-3 with 3:35 left, but Edmonton took two penalties in the next 3:21 to hurt the rally bid.
Key stat
Draisaitl’s goal was his 316th over the last seven seasons, breaking a tie with Toronto’s Auston Matthews for the most in that span. Matthews and the Leafs play Friday at the New York Rangers.
Up next
Edmonton finishes a five-game trip Saturday at Carolina, while Florida remains home to face Calgary on Saturday. It’ll be the first game back in Sunrise for Flames forward Ryan Lomberg since he helped Florida win the Cup last season.
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NHL News
FLA wins 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDM | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| FLA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Team | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas | 34 | 18 | 6 | 74 |
| Edmonton | 34 | 21 | 4 | 72 |
| Los Angeles | 31 | 17 | 8 | 70 |
| Vancouver | 27 | 20 | 11 | 65 |
| Calgary | 28 | 22 | 8 | 64 |
| Anaheim | 25 | 25 | 7 | 57 |
| Seattle | 25 | 31 | 4 | 54 |
| San Jose | 15 | 36 | 9 | 39 |
| Team | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 36 | 21 | 3 | 75 |
| Toronto | 36 | 20 | 2 | 74 |
| Tampa Bay | 34 | 20 | 4 | 72 |
| Detroit | 30 | 23 | 6 | 66 |
| Ottawa | 29 | 25 | 4 | 62 |
| Boston | 27 | 25 | 8 | 62 |
| Montreal | 28 | 26 | 5 | 61 |
| Buffalo | 24 | 28 | 5 | 53 |
Gameday 60: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers
A second rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is on tap tonight in Sunrise when the Florida Panthers (35-21-3) play host to the Edmonton Oilers (34-20-4) tonight at Amerant Bank Arena to complete the season series.
A quick trip to Nashville resulted in a 4-1 victory for the Panthers on Tuesday night. Sam Bennett scored a goal and assisted on another, Aleksander Barkov collected two helpers, and rookie Justin Sourdif notched his first NHL goal. Fellow rookie Mackie Samoskevich and defenseman Gustav Forsling each potted their ninth goals of the season in the third period.
The reeling Oilers have been a complete mess since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, losing 6-3 in Philadelphia, 7-3 in Washington and 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday. A constant bright spot has been Rocket Richard Trophy-leader Leon Draisaitl, who scored in all three of the losses, and is riding a six-game goal streak and nine-game point streak.
Thursday in the Atlantic (Standings/Panthers Playoff Chances)
Idle: TOR (74P), OTT (62P)
