Oilers evade Stanley Cup Final sweep in dominant scoring barrage over Panthers

If the Edmonton Oilers have hopes in becoming the second team to win a Stanley Cup Final after trailing the series three games to none, then Saturday's thumping of Florida was a good start. 

The Oilers avoided a sweep in dominant fashion on Saturday night, beating the Florida Panthers, 8-1.

Early in the first period, the Panthers were on the power play, and a shot rang off the post. But after a turnover, the Oilers had a 2-on-1, and Mattian Janmark found the back of the net off a patient feed from Connor Brown. A few minutes later, Adam Henrique scored to give the boys from the land up north a 2-0 lead, but Florida answered right back with a goal by Vladimir Tarasenko to cut the lead in half.

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Edmonton, though, quickly returned the favor. This time it was Dylan Holloway on a nifty pass from Leon Draisaitl to make it 3-1 Oilers. It was Draisaitl’s first point of the series, and it was the first time the Oilers led by two goals all series.

The scoring barrage continued in the second, as Connor McDavid finally scored his first goal of the Cup Final. It didn’t stop there.

Darnell Nurse joined the fun at the 4:59 mark of the period, forcing the Panthers to replace Sergei Bobrovsky with Anthony Stolarz. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on a two-man advantage later in the period, and Holloway and Ryan Mcleod each added another in the third, just in case.

The Oilers are looking to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0, and the first since the 2014 Los Angeles Kings did so in the first round - they wound up winning the Cup that year after winning two more Game 7s.

The only comeback in the Cup Final was in 1942 by the Toronto Maple Leafs - it was the first 3-0 comeback in the Big 4 leagues.

Five other teams forced, but lost, a Game 7.

Game 5 will be Tuesday night in Florida at 8 p.m. ET.

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