Top standouts from Game 4 of 2025 Stanley Cup Final as Oilers beat Panthers
The Edmonton Oilers have tied the 2025 Stanley Cup Final after beating the Florida Panthers 5-4 in a wild comeback effort on Thursday night.
Game 5 is set for Saturday night in Edmonton, with the two teams meeting back up on Tuesday for Game 6 in Sunrise. If needed, Game 7 will be back in Alberta next Friday.
The first period was all Florida. Matthew Tkachuk got the night started with a pair of power-play goals, beating Stuart Skinner twice to make it a 2-0 game after 16:56. At 19:18, Anton Lundell scored in the slot to make it a 3-0 game, chasing Skinner from the game – and stealing any momentum the Oilers could have looked to claim.
But a goalie change ahead of the second period seemed to change things for the Oilers. At 23:33, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on the power play himself to make it 3-1. Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkilzin then scored a goal each to tie the game at three apiece, silencing the crowd in Sunrise.
The two teams traded chances in the third period, and the Oilers would eventually snag their first lead of the night. At 53:36, Jake Walman’s slap shot would complete the comeback, giving the Oilers the 4-3 lead to close out the night. It looked over from there, but Sam Reinhart scored in the final minute of regulation to force overtime.
During the extra frame, the two teams yet again went back and forth, but it was Leon Draisaitl who would register his third point of the night, scoring off a deflection to make it 5-4 to win the game.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Thursday night:
Edmonton Oilers
#74 Stuart Skinner, G: Sure, Skinner allowed three goals in the first period. But he was the only one who showed up early in the first period in a frame that set the tone for the rest of the night. He faced a ton of quality chances early on but stood tall before the Oilers took a pair of penalties that led to goals. Skinner can be hot and cold but he was not to blame for the team’s brutal start.
#30 Calvin Pickard, G: Wait, two goalies from the same team? Turns out, a big save early in the second seemed to have sprung the team’s comeback effort, and then he was lights out the rest of the frame. That seemed to spark the momentum the Oilers needed, and might have cemented Pickard’s status as the team’s No. 1 goaltender going into Game 5.
#25 Darnell Nurse, D: Nurse was criticized heavily in the first period on social media, and for good reason. But he came alive in the the second, scoring a goal and adding an assist to help tie the game. He was better offensively than defensively but it was good to see him rushing the net and trying to get the offense to wake up. Overall, it’s safe to say he redeemed himself.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, C: Draisaitl was also flamed for being a bit too quiet in this series but he wasn’t today. Between dominating shifts physically and making great passes in the O-zone, Draisaitl finished with a goal and an assist in the second period comeback effort. He also had a pair of hits and a couple decent scoring chances, as well. Nobody will claim that overtime goal was a snipe, but, hey, he’ll take it. If the Oilers are going to win this series, they need Draisaitl to have more nights like today.
#93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, LW: RNH hasn’t looked healthy for a few games, but he couldn’t be stopped today. He scored a power-play goal and then set up the 4-3 goal late in the third period. Mix in a pair of hits, a blocked shot and some wins in the faceoff dot and Nugent-Hopkins played his best game of the Stanley Cup Final today.
Florida Panthers
#16 Aleksander Barkov, C: Barkov has been criticized heavily for his play during the Cup Final but he came to play in the first period. He had a pair of assists on Tkachuk’s two-goal frame, putting the game out of reach early on. Barkov has been good defensively and involved physically but this was his best game offensively. That’s exactly what the Panthers needed from their captain.
#19 Matthew Tkachuk, RW: Tkachuk hasn’t looked healthy at any point in the playoffs, but his first period performance was his best so far. He scored twice on the power play, including a great tip, too. Tkachuk wasn’t too involved physically but as long as he’s putting pucks in the net, he won’t mind. Full credit to Tkachuk for his play around the net today.
#13 Sam Reinhart, RW: Reinhart made a great pass on the 2-0 goal and then had another assist on a hard-working effort to make it 3-0. Reinhart had three good chances himself and was especially good at moving the puck into danger zones while on the power play. His most important play, though, came in the final minute of regulation when he scored to force overtime. Reinhart has been good in this series and he’ll look to keep things rolling on Saturday.
#15 Anton Lundell, C: Lundell scored the 3-0 goal off a great pass in front, scoring in tight. But beyond that, he did so many great things to give the Panthers some life on their third line. Defensively, he did a good job of taking space away and forcing the Oilers to the outside. He also just generally did a good job of keeping the puck on his stick in the attacking zone.
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