Schmidt, Verhaeghe help Panthers top Oilers 4-3 in Cup final rematch

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Nate Schmidt and Carter Verhaeghe had third-period goals, Anton Lundell had a goal and two assists and the Florida Panthers topped the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night.

Uvis Balinskis also scored for Florida, which jumped Toronto for first in the Atlantic Division.

Leon Draisaitl scored his 44th goal for the Oilers, who also got goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman.

It was Edmonton’s first time on the Panthers’ ice since June 24, 2024, when Florida topped the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. The Panthers won the clubs’ first meeting earlier this season, prevailing 6-5 at Edmonton on Dec. 16. 

Both teams had 12 players on the ice Thursday from the lineups that they used in Game 7 of the title series.

Takeaways

Oilers: Edmonton has dropped five straight, the Oilers’ longest slide since dropping six consecutive games in December 2021. The Oilers have allowed at least four goals in all five of the losses during the stretch.

Panthers: Florida was again without Matthew Tkachuk because of a lower-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. “He’s out near-term, we know that. We’re just making sure that we get … different ideas on treatment plans,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Key moment

Hyman got the Oilers within 4-3 with 3:35 left, but Edmonton took two penalties in the next 3:21 to hurt the rally bid.

Key stat

Draisaitl’s goal was his 316th over the last seven seasons, breaking a tie with Toronto’s Auston Matthews for the most in that span. Matthews and the Leafs play Friday at the New York Rangers.

Up next

Edmonton finishes a five-game trip Saturday at Carolina, while Florida remains home to face Calgary on Saturday. It’ll be the first game back in Sunrise for Flames forward Ryan Lomberg since he helped Florida win the Cup last season.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL