The Edmonton Oilers rallied from a three-goal first-period deficit to beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in overtime, evening up the series 2-2. With that victory, the Oilers became the first road team in 106 years to rally from a deficit of at least three goals to win a Stanley Cup Final game.
Once again, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored the heroic game-winning goal, giving him the NHL record for most overtime goals scored by one player in a single Stanley Cup Playoff run (four).
“The best players from both teams are coming up at key times. No [one] more than Leon Draisaitl in the overtime last night,” Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters earlier today. “I would like a little less stress for myself behind the bench, and maybe I could enjoy it a little more, but I can definitely see it’s really good, exciting hockey.”
Despite their best efforts, the Edmonton Oilers once again found themselves in an early hole, going down 3-0 in the first period. Unsurprisingly, critics and media members began writing the Oilers off after the first 20 minutes of Game Four.
LEON DRAISAITL IN OVERTIME AGAIN 🤯 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/f4UYcpoE2i
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 13, 2025
“I think that once again shows you, tells you that our group never quits,” Leon Draisaitl said after the game. “I think we believe that – no matter how bad it is – if we get over that hump of adversity, we’re going to keep pushing. We’re going to keep coming. We’re going to keep coming, and eventually it’ll break. We don’t want to be in these situations too many times, but when they happen, I think we’re great.”
The tone of the game undoubtedly shifted when Oilers starting goalie Stuart Skinner was replaced by Calvin Pickard in the second period. He recorded 22 saves on 23 shot attempts to improve to 7-0 this postseason.
“It’s unfortunate for Stu to be pulled there. Our team was flat,” said Knoblauch after the win. “We needed to change things up. It was great the way he played. Picks made some really big saves.”
After Pickard replaced Skinner, the Oilers were injected with new life, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead in the third period. Defenseman Jake Walman scored the fourth goal of that run to put Edmonton ahead.
STANLEY CUP FINAL HAS BEEN THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING 🍿🔥
GAME 1: 7 GOALS SCORED, OT
GAME 2: 9 GOALS SCORED, 2OT
GAME 3: 7 GOALS SCORED
GAME 4: 9 GOALS SCORED, OTSERIES TIED UP 2-2 🤯 pic.twitter.com/vauDctw45p
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2025
“Yeah, I was happy it went in,” Walman said in a postgame interview. “It’s probably the most animated I’ve been after a goal… I just tried to sneak in. It was a great play by those guys down low. I think we were hard on the forecheck there. Turned the puck over. That’s kind of the MO of our team and what we did for the latter half of that game. Kappy (Kasperi Kapanen) – I know he could have shot, but he decided to make a great play – made a pass, and I just took a shot at the net.”
The Oilers weren’t out of the woods yet, though. Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart scored a goal with about 20 seconds left in the third period to force overtime.
“Three of the four games have gone to overtime, and I think that’s probably the expectation of what we have going forward, ” said Panthers head coach Paul Maurice after the game.
After a back-and-forth 11 minutes to open overtime, Leon Draisaitl saucered a pass with the back of his stick that deflected off of a Panthers defender and went through the legs of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the Oilers the win.
LEON DRAISAITL IS THE OVERTIME KING IN THE #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS 🤴 pic.twitter.com/1IKrBXNN2u
— NHL (@NHL) June 13, 2025
“He’s as clutch as it gets,” Pickard said when talking about Draisaitl. “He’s been playing great. Always scoring big goals at big times, and now we’re going home with momentum.”
Now, the series comes down to the next three games and which team can get to two wins first.
“We’re an older team. There’s been a lot of highs and lows that they’ve experienced,” said Kris Knoblauch. “They know what’s at stake. We’ve had ups and downs throughout the season, especially in the playoffs. Heartbreaking losses. Unbelievable wins. Overtime. We’ve been able to just park those and get ready for the next game because I don’t believe that momentum goes from game to game. It’s important that we enjoy that win, obviously, but we have to get prepared because there’s such a quick turnaround that we’re ready for our next game.”
Both teams are traveling back to Alberta, Canada, where they will face off in Game Five tomorrow night. That one is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
