Oilers tie Stanley Cup Final, force Game 7 with 5-1 win over Panthers

The Panthers are on the verge of making history, but it is not the kind of historic accomplishment they were hoping to achieve.

After taking a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, Florida has lost three straight games, setting up a decisive Game 7 in Sunrise after it lost 5-1 to Edmonton at Rogers Place on Friday.

The Panthers are now at risk of becoming only the second team to lose the Stanley Cup Final after taking a 3-0 lead in the series. The 1942 Detroit Red Wings are the only NHL team to lose a Final after taking a 3-0 lead. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who won that series, are one of two teams to even a Final at three games each after losing the first three games.

The 1942 Maple Leafs are the only team to win a championship series after falling behind three games to none in the three major American sports leagues that play playoff series.

The Oilers got on the board first with a goal by Warren Foegele coming off a Panthers turnover, giving Edmonton a lead 7:27 into the first period. It was the third game in a row where the Oilers scored first. Edmonton out-shot Florida 8-1 early in the game and ended the first period with an 11-2 shot advantage.

The barrage continued into the second period, as Adam Henrique gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead with a wide-open shot just 46 seconds into the second frame.

Florida captain Aleksander Barkov appeared to respond immediately, scoring the Panthers’ first goal on a rebound 10 seconds after Edmonton extended its lead. But the Oilers challenged the goal for offsides and won the challenge, setting the score back at 2-0.

Zach Hyman, the Oilers’ leading goal-scorer in the regular season, effectively put the game away with a late second-period goal.

Barkov did get a goal 1:28 into the third period, but it did not spark a comeback for the Panthers. Henrique and Ryan McLeod each scored empty-net goals to wrap up the contest.

Game 7 will take place in Sunrise at 8 p.m. on Monday.

This story will be updated.