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Stanley Cup Final Game 5 takeaways: Panthers one win away from history
The Florida Panthers are one win away from another championship after Saturday's 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers to take a 3-2 series lead. Here are some key takeaways from their Game 5 win.
This was a clinical performance by the Panthers
Everything about this game was the Panthers at their absolute best, and why they have been in three straight Stanley Cup Finals with a chance to win a second.
There was more clutch scoring from Sam Bennett.
There was great goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky when needed.
And there was absolute clinical defensive play to completely shut down one of the highest-powered offenses in the league. It was smothering, championship-caliber defense and play. There was not a team in the NHL that was beating Florida on this night.
Legacies are on the line in Game 6
For both teams.
When it comes to the Panthers, this is a chance for history. It's a chance to join the rare ranks of back-to-back champions and cement themselves as the best team of the 2020s.
But there's something bigger on the line for Edmonton. Specifically, the superstar duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
They have all of the individual honors and stat lines that any player could ever want. They are two of the best, most productive players of their era. But the one thing they are still lacking is their names on the Stanley Cup. Fair or not, this era of sports is defined by rings and championships and for players to take their place among the all-time greats, at least one championship seems to be a must.
McDavid and Draisaitl have been in the NHL for a decade and are still searching for a championship. If they go out without much of a fight in Game 6, it is only going to add to the pressure on them.
Florida's "rats" keep shining
And by rats, we mean their agitators of Brad Marchant and Bennett.
While they are known for their physical and frustrating style of play, they also keep establishing themselves as big-time clutch players. Bennett scored another goal on Saturday, while Marchand added two more to add to his Stanley Cup Final legacy.
It's going to be perfect timing for them as both are set to be unrestricted free agents this summer.
These types of performances stick with general managers, and with the salary cap set to rise this summer, both players are sure to cash in.
Especially if they are key components to another championship.
More must-reads:
- Top standouts from Game 5 of 2025 Stanley Cup Final as Panthers beat Oilers
- Despite benching, we might not have seen the last of Oilers goalkeeper
- The 'Five game-winning-drives in a season' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Grading Brad Treliving’s major moves as Toronto Maple Leafs GM
After Kyle Dubas was fired, the Toronto Maple Leafs wasted no time hiring Brad Treliving to be their next GM. Coming from Calgary, Treliving had a very mediocre past, but that didn’t stop MLSE from bringing him on board. His seat is now getting warmer with every loss, as his Leafs sit second last in the division with a record of 10–11–3. Things are not going well in hockey’s top market, and while the coach might be the first one fired, it feels like Treliving’s days are also numbered. But is this his fault? To find out, let’s grade every major move of Treliving’s tenure in Toronto so far. Leafs receive Joel Edmundson for a 3rd and 5th round pick – Grade: C Treliving’s first trade deadline was pretty boring. It felt like he didn’t have the full reins yet, and his moves around the edges, especially on defence, didn’t do much to help Toronto whatsoever. Edmundson had a decent playoff, but the Leafs were once again finished in Game 7 of the first round. A 3rd and a 5th don’t seem like much, but for a depth defenceman, it’s a bit of a steep price and the type of trade teams really try to avoid. Signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year deals – Grade: A Treliving made it very clear in his first offseason that his direction would be different from Kyle Dubas’. By signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year deals, he shifted the team structure from speed and finesse to more rough-and-tumble. It took a while for both Domi and Bertuzzi to get it going, but by the playoffs, both were fantastic. They formed a great first line with Auston Matthews and were not to blame for the Leafs early exit. Now, re-signing Domi and letting Bertuzzi walk was a mistake, but the initial deals were both awesome. Re-signing Max Domi to four years, $15M – Grade: D Brad chose the wrong guy to bring back, and two years into Domi’s four-year deal, it’s looking rough. Domi just isn’t very good, especially with a coach like Craig Berube. He doesn’t play defence, needs to play with Auston Matthews to look anywhere close to decent, and doesn’t generate offence as he should. The only reason this isn’t an F is because Domi was really good against the Ottawa Senators last postseason. Other than that, this is a bit of a disaster. He has 11 goals in 97 games since his extension kicked in. Signing Anthony Stolarz to a two-year, $5M deal – Grade: A Bringing in Anthony Stolarz was a godsend last season, as Stolarz led the NHL with a .926 save percentage in 34 games. He was Toronto’s playoff starter until getting hurt, and is still genuinely one of the best goalies in the league. The problem is injury, and it’s clear now why Stolarz has never become a full-time starter: he gets hurt a lot. His second season has been a disaster, playing in 13 games with an .884 before going down with an unknown injury. Either way, for the first season alone, this signing gets an A. Treliving knew Joseph Woll needed a partner, and Stolarz was nothing short of a miracle last season. Leafs receive Scott Laughton for a 2027 1st-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin – Grade: D Last year’s deadline is turning out to be an abomination, and this trade is half of it. Scott Laughton has four points in 26 games since coming to Toronto. Yes, you read that right, four points in 26 games. For a first-round pick. And a top-five prospect. Now, to be fair to Laughton, he looks fine. He isn’t getting a chance in the top-six, which he should, and he’s one of Toronto’s better bottom-six guys. But that’s not saying much, and you just don’t trade a first-rounder and a top-five prospect in your system for a Scott Laughton type. This was Brad’s first giant trade, and it’s just terrible. I’ll give Laughton a bit more time before giving this an F, but there’s an argument it already should be. Nikita Grebenkin is outscoring him this season! Leafs receive Brandon Carlo for a 2026 1st-round pick and Fraser Minten – Grade: F- This trade will be the one we look back on in 10 years. Thinking they needed another RD, the Leafs sent their second-best prospect, Fraser Minten, and this year’s first-round pick to Boston for Brandon Carlo. Where do we even begin? Carlo has been downright horrible. He’s 6’5 but plays like he’s 5’6, doesn’t hit, doesn’t score, doesn’t move the puck, doesn’t do anything. He’s been awful, and now he’s hurt, which might actually help the Leafs defence corps. The Leafs suck, which means we’re probably gifting Boston the seventh overall pick in a stacked draft class. I don’t understand ever sending first-rounders to Boston; it never ends well. And to top it all off, Fraser Minten looks fantastic. He’s the Bruins’ every-night third line centre (something the Leafs desperately need, by the way) and has eight points with a +2 rating so far. He’s going to be a stud third-line centre at worst, and should have been too high a price to pay for Carlo alone. When Treliving gets fired, this is going to be the move people point to as to why. Just awful Verdict: Fire this man Brad Treliving is not a good GM. He never has been. His hiring was based on his relationships on the MLSE board and had nothing to do with his actual work. If the Leafs want to hit a soft retool and try to keep their window open, he’s not the guy to do it. If they want to full on tank, he’s not the guy to do it. If they want to make some moves to improve, he’s not the guy to do it. Hire someone who knows what it takes to win in the NHL, not someone like Brad.
Cardinals' Richard Fitts Reveals Reaction To Getting Traded By Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made their first major trade of the offseason earlier this week, and Richard Fitts was on the business end of the deal. Fitts started this season in the Red Sox rotation, but injuries and struggles both took a toll. He wound up with a 5.00 ERA in 45 innings, and briefly flirted with a move to the bullpen late in the year before elbow neuritis ended his year early. Now that he's been dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the package for three-time All-Star Sonny Gray, Fitts is looking forward to competing for a spot in a less experienced rotation. If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google. Fitts talks trade, Cardinals opportunity Fitts recently shared his mindset on the trade, admitting that he likely had a better chance to stick in the St. Louis rotation than he would have if he'd remained in Boston. “With this opportunity (with the Cardinals), if I am able to stay healthy, I think it’s just going to be a great fit and a way for me to stay in a rotation,” Fitts said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “I feel like I really grew as a pitcher with the Red Sox. "When I came over from the (New York) Yankees to the Red Sox, it was like, ‘Oh, this would be cool if I get to be a big leaguer over here.’ And now, moving to this opportunity, it’s like, ‘I am a big leaguer. How can I fit into (the Cardinals) rotation?’” Though he would have been buried on the depth chart a bit, the Red Sox definitely weren't happy to see Fitts go. He showed No. 4 starter promise during his September call-up a year ago, including a scoreless start against the Yankees, and he was a spring training darling this year, adding significant velocity and showcasing three breaking balls. While Gray gives the Red Sox a significantly higher floor than they had to start the week, the Red Sox know they incurred some long-term risks by moving on from Fitts and Brandon Clarke. But the beauty of building pitching depth over the past couple of years is that it allows them to take some risks.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Packers announce head-turning roster move one day after 2025 Lions sweep
Fresh off a Thanksgiving win on Thursday against the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field in Detroit, the Green Bay Packers made a notable move to reunite with kicker Lucas Havrisik. Green Bay parted ways with Havrisik just before the Lions game, but on Friday, the team announced that he’s back in the fold after getting signed to the practice squad roster. Via Green Bay’s official website: “The Green Bay Packers signed K Lucas Havrisik (HAVE-ruh-sick) to the practice squad. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transaction Friday.” Lucas Havrisik insurance for now for the Packers It can be recalled that Havrisik saw action in three games in the 2025 NFL season for Green Bay in place of the then-injured Brandon McManus. In those games, the former Arizona Wildcats kicker went 4-for-4 on his field goals, including a franchise record-setting 61-yard make in Week 7’s 27-23 win in Glendale over the Arizona Cardinals. He was also 7-for-9 on extra-point attempts, with both misses happening in Week 11’s 27-20 victory against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. McManus is healthy and perfect in the two games since he returned to action, so there is no reason for the Packers to give his spot to someone else so Havrisik will just be insurance for now for Green Bay, which has a Week 14 date with the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
Eagles fans loudly booed Nick Sirianni for questionable decision
Philadelphia Eagles fans were fuming at their team after the first half of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bears, and coach Nick Sirianni took a lot of heat for one particular decision. The Eagles offense once again struggled at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. on Friday, scoring just three points against the Bears. The Eagles tallied just two first downs and 83 total yards in the half while running only 17 plays. Sirianni remained conservative right down to the half. The Eagles got the ball back down a touchdown with 2:47 left, and completed a 1-yard pass on the first play of the drive. Sirianni then opted to let the clock run down to the two-minute warning instead of trying to run another play, leading to loud boos. The Eagles did have all three timeouts left, and Sirianni was likely trying to prevent the Bears from getting the ball back before halftime. Given how bad the offense had been up to that point, however, fans did not care one bit. Sirianni’s plan did not work, as the Eagles wound up going three-and-out. Sirianni was angrily yelling on the sideline at that point as the boos got louder. The Eagles were loudly booed off the field at halftime, and they were lucky to only be down a touchdown. The Philadelphia offense has been a source of frustration for much of the season, but things have hit a fever pitch after their collapse against the Dallas Cowboys last week. The Eagles ended up losing, 24-15. The team is 8-4, but if the offense does not turn around, they will have a hard time repeating as Super Bowl champions.
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