Carter Verhaeghe was the difference in an offensive festival and the Florida Panthers ended the Edmonton Oilers’ five-game winning streak with three goals in the third period in a 6-5 victory at Rogers Place.
Verhaeghe, who also added an assist, broke a 5-5 tie with less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, and the Panthers held on from there.
For the first time since the last Stanley Cup final, the Panthers (19-11-2) and the Oilers (18-11-2) crossed swords. The Oilers were hosting the team that beat them in seven games last June.
The Panthers first increased their lead in first place in the circuit for the number of shorthanded goals scored, hitting the target for an eighth time. Jesper Boqvist took a breakaway shot against Stuart Skinner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead just 2:42 into the game.
Zach Hyman, who started the season without a goal in his first 11 games, tied the score at 15:13 by scoring in a third straight contest. Connor McDavid had a point in his seventh straight game on the play.
With 4:16 left in the first period, Darnell Nurse received a four-minute double minor penalty, and the Panthers took advantage with 11 seconds left on the power play when Matthew Tkachuk deflected a throw-in Verhaeghe.
The Oilers took charge in the second period, scoring two goals in 43 seconds with Hyman’s second of the game and the sixth of the season from Connor Brown, who had only four goals last season. The locals thus took a first lead in the game.
Leon Draisaitl increased the Oilers’ lead to 4-2 on a massive attack midway through the game on McDavid’s third assist of the night. With a 23rd goal, the German climbed to the top of the NHL scorers.
The Panthers’ Gustav Forsling narrowed the lead to one goal before the second intermission with a shot from the point that oddly deflected into the net.
The Stanley Cup champions took a 5-4 lead in the third period by scoring twice in 30 seconds thanks to goals from Niko Mikkola, then from Sam Reinhart, from a very tight angle, but another bizarre goal, this time from Kasperi Kapanen, allowed the Oilers to level the score.
Left alone in front of Skinner’s net with less than seven minutes to play, Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 6-5 lead with a perfect shot from the top.
With less than 20 seconds left, Bobrovsky frustrated Draisaitl with a spectacular save to seal the outcome. The Russian goaltender finished his evening’s work with 25 saves, while Skinner stopped 22 shots.
Kris Knoblauch (65-28-7) led his 100th career game behind the Oilers bench.
At 8:52 of the second period, Hyman was hit in the face by the puck when a one-timer from Evan Bouchard’s point was redirected by Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen. Hyman returned to the bench holding his face. He returned at the start of the third period with a full face shield and a cut on his nose.
