Oilers, McDavid Drag Florida Panthers Back to Alberta; Force Game 6

SUNRISE — The Edmonton Oilers are headed home and are, indeed, dragging the Florida Panthers along with them.

Edmonton, once left for dead in this Stanley Cup Final, has sprung to life over the past couple of games and have now won the past two after dropping the first three.

On Tuesday night, the Panthers were once again denied a chance to lay claim to the Stanley Cup after Edmonton beat Florida 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida still leads 3-2 in this best-of-7 series which now heads back to Edmonton.

Game 6 will be Friday night.

If you believe in momentum, well, you probably believe in the Oilers although after the third period, the Panthers may be taking some of their own north of the border.

Florida found itself down 3-0 and 4-1 against the Oilers before mounting a comeback.

The Panthers simply could not come all the way back.

Edmonton, led by all-world center Connor McDavid, held off a furious comeback by the Panthers which was set off by goals from Evan Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Down 4-1 after a second power-play goal from the Oilers, Rodrigues knocked in a rebound off a Brandon Montour shot to make it 4-2 going into the third.

Ekman-Larsson beat Stuart Skinner with a one-timer off a pass from Matthew Tkachuk — who snapped a nine-game goal drought in the second — to make it 4-3 with 15:56 left to play.

Florida got no closer to the Oilers, however, with Skinner ending with 29 saves.

GOALS OF GAME 5

• Oilers 1, Panthers 0 (5:20, 1st SH): The Panthers give up their record-setting fifth shorthanded goal of the playoffs; Connor Brown picked off a blueline pass from Brandon Montour to Sasha Barkov, drove up ice and beat Sergei Bobrovsky backhand.
• Oilers 2, Panthers 0 (1:58, 2nd PP): Edmonton gets its first 5on-3 power play goal of the series, Zach Hyman deflecting a one-timer from Evan Bouchard.
• Oilers 3, Panthers 0 (5:00, 2nd): Connor McDavid scored off an odd-angled shot in front of the net and things are not looking good for the Panthers.
• Oilers 3, Panthers 1 (6:53, 2nd): Evan Rodrigues forces a turnover against the wall in the offensive zone, feeds Matthew Tkachuk who rolls in and goes top shelf.
• Oilers 4, Panthers 1 (11:54, 2nd PP): McDavid makes a sensational dish to Corey Perry in front of the net.
• Oilers 4, Panthers 2 (12:08, 2nd): Rodrigues gets another goal, knocking in a rebound of a Brandon Montour shot just moments after Edmonton appeared to drop the hammer on the Panthers.
• Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (4:04, 3rd): Tkachuk finds Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the right circle and Florida is down 1.
• Oilers 5, Panthers 3 (19:41, 3rd SH): Tkachuk knocks a puck away from the empty net, but McDavid gets it anyway and that is that.

GR’S 3 STARS OF GAME 3

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton

2. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton

3. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida