The pressure of Game 5 is intense as the winner takes a 3-2 series lead
Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is in the books, and what a game that was! At the end of the first period, the Panthers were well on their way to take a 3-1 series lead back to Edmonton, but for the resilient fighting spirit displayed by the Oilers, who clawed their way back to win it in yet another game that went to overtime.
The Game 4 win by the Oilers meant that they became only the second team ever to come from behind by 3 goals on the road in a Stanley Cup Final game. It was an impressive performance under pressure, without which the Panthers would have been in complete control of the series by now.
With the series now tied at 2-2, both teams are leaving nothing to chance as they struggle to break each other down, with the exception of Game 3, in which the Oilers just didn’t show up. Apart from that, these teams are evenly matched, and it is looking more and more like the series will go down to the wire in a Game 7 winner-takes-all.
For Edmonton, the key to Game 5 will be their penalties, which are killing them at the moment. Florida’s power play unit has been on fire currently, and addressing this issue will be high on the Oilers’ priority list. Once the Oilers were able to stay out of the penalty box in the last game, they looked like a much different team and were able to mount their comeback.
The other big concern for the Oilers has been Stuart Skinner’s play in goal. Skinner has struggled to keep the puck out of the back of his net, being pulled in back-to-back games now. It might be worth sticking Calvin Pickard in goal in game 5, as Edmonton did look better after he was substituted into the game.
As for the Panthers, this is now the second time in the series they have let a 2 or more goal cushion get away from them, and in both games they have ended up on the losing side. While Game 3 was a complete masterclass, Florida started Game 4 with the same intensity, but were not able to keep it up over the duration of 4 periods of hockey.
If you take away the problem with the penalties, Edmonton has played quite well in this series. Last game, they were able to score 2 goals on the power play themselves, and they have found players stepping up, as Connor McDavid is still without a goal in the Finals.
However, he is still doing Conor McDavid things, and Leon Draisaitl has been there to pick up the rest. With his overtime goal in Game 4, Draisaitl now has 4 overtime goals in this postseason, and 2 of them are in this series.
Florida is swimming in unknown waters after giving up big leads in 2 games in this series. The Panthers are generally one of the best teams to close out games after taking the lead, but that has not been the case here.
They have their fair share of positives, though. Their power play has been working well, and they’ve had great performances from Brad Marchand in the first three games, and Matthew Tkachuk stepped up in the last game, so it’s not all gloomy. However, they need to continue applying the pressure, winning the battle at the boards, and playing their physical game in order to take back the lead in the series.
Prediction: Edmonton wins Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead.
The betting odds have once again shifted in favor of the Oilers. A bounce-back win from Edmonton after receiving a clobbering in Game 3, and then being on the ropes after the 1st period of Game 4, means the Oilers will have received a huge confidence boost ahead of Game 5.
Moreover, they are back at Rogers Place in Edmonton along with the momentum shift. For what it’s worth, the visiting team in this series hasn’t been able to win the first game on the road, so if that trend continues, it’s advantage Oilers.
Edmonton Oilers: 11/8
Draw: 3/1
Florida Panthers: 31/20
(According to BetMGM)
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