Panthers one win away from second Stanley Cup after bounce-back Game 5 victory over Oilers

EDMONTON — This time, the Florida Panthers built a lead and held it.

And because of it, they come back home with a chance to seal the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season.

The Panthers, behind two goals from Brad Marchand and others from Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, took down the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 5 on Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Florida, rebounding from a Game 4 defeat in which it blew a three-goal lead, can claim its second consecutive Stanley Cup back at Amerant Back Arena in Game 6 Tuesday night.

The Panthers did so by improving to 10-3 on the road this postseason.

Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers defense had the Oilers shut out through two periods before superstar Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the Final in the third period with Edmonton down three goals.

Marchand’s two goals make him the first player to score six in a Stanley Cup Final since 1988, when Esa Tikkanen did it for the Oilers in 1988.

He was first to score Saturday, starting Game 5 the way he ended the previous game in Edmonton, when he had the game-winner in double overtime. Marchand stole the puck after a faceoff win by the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl, created his own breakaway with his speed to shoot the puck past Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard, who was starting for Stuart Skinner.

Marchand’s fifth goal of the Final, before later adding a sixth, marked the second time he has scored five when playing for the Cup. He also accomplished the feat in 2011 with the Boston Bruins.

Later in the first period, Bennett notched his fifth goal of the championship series when he blasted in a goal off a deflection from a shot Evan Rodrigues had blocked.

Bennett scored his 15th goal of the postseason and extended his record of road playoff goals in a single postseason to 13, doing so in six consecutive road games.

As the Panthers established a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Oilers only mustered three shots on goal. They didn’t have one on a power play from a Seth Jones interference that immediately preceded Bennett’s goal.

When it was 1-0, Draisaitl had the Edmonton crowd thinking it had a tying goal, but he hit the side of the net. Bobrovsky, as he heard chants of “Ser-gei” raining down from Oilers fans, stopped a couple of quality chances Edmonton had early, despite not putting another shot on goal later in the first.

Holding the two-goal lead after one period, the Panthers killed off two penalties in the second period, one on defenseman Aaron Ekblad for tripping and another on Reinhart for a delay of game. On the latter penalty kill, Luostarinen used his body and hands without his stick.

Marchand pulled off some elite stickwork for a third-period goal which put the Panthers up 3-0 sending the puck between the legs of Oilers defenseman Jake Walman before scoring.

McDavid’s goal brought life into Rogers Place for the first time Saturday night with under 13 minutes remaining, but Reinhart put Florida back up by three goals in short order a minute later to suck the energy out of the arena.

Edmonton added a Corey Perry goal with 3:13 remaining and the net empty. But Luostarinen then scored on the empty net with 1:19 left.

Game 6 back in Sunrise will be the Panthers’ final home game of the season, regardless of outcome, as Game 7, will be played in Edmonton if necessary.

This story will be updated.