Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images
The Edmonton Oilers' dream of a 3-0 comeback is still alive and well.
Edmonton defeated the Florida Panthers 5-3 in Tuesday's Game 5 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena and now trails just 3-2 in the series with the opportunity to force a decisive contest if it capitalizes on home ice in Game 6.
The Game 5 win can be defined by two words: Connor McDavid.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceCONNOR MCDAVID JUST WENT THROUGH TWO FLORIDA DEFENsem*n 🤯<br><br>WHAT AN ASSIST 🍎 <a href="https://t.co/4bsl5Dg8iK">pic.twitter.com/4bsl5Dg8iK</a>
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceCONNOR MCDAVID PUTS THE OILERS UP 3-0 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/XDk389015X">pic.twitter.com/XDk389015X</a>
Edmonton's superstar was unstoppable in the latest victory with two goals and two assists. It looked like he was toying with Florida defenders for extended stretches of the contest, including when he completely took over the game in the critical second period.
Social media reacted accordingly:
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceConnor McDavid just became the third player in NHL history to score 40+ points in a postseason 🔥<br><br>Gretzky, Lemieux, MCDAVID... GOAT things 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/IhpgEN3MgG">pic.twitter.com/IhpgEN3MgG</a>
Yahoo Sports @YahooSportsConnor McDavid has seven points over his last two games in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanleyCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StanleyCup</a> Finals🤯 <a href="https://t.co/kFnUSLRU85">pic.twitter.com/kFnUSLRU85</a>
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Alex Kirshner @alex_kirshnerWatching McDavid, I feel myself becoming an NBA-style ringzzzzzz guy so I can pretend he isn't as good as Crosby even though pretty clearly no one since Lemieux was anything like this
Elden Lord Seany Salami @Seany__SalamiConnor McDavid is the best player I've ever seen. <br><br>The only ones that are even close are Crosby, Kakko, and Ovechkin.
Adam @OilersAdamI love how stunned Corey Perry was after Connor McDavid performed absolute magic to set him up for the goal <a href="https://t.co/Hw3jawFIVd">pic.twitter.com/Hw3jawFIVd</a>
Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrunMcDavid, just wow. Perry makes it 4-1. <br>That's a highlight they'll be showing for years.
Beau Bennett @BeauBennett19Mcdavid should win the Conn Smythe even if they lose
Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthurGood god, McDavid
Justin Bourne @jtbourneThe entire flow of the game trails McDavid's wake when he's out there. He's the lead goose in the Flying V and everyone else is just tryna catch a bit of the slipstream.
CJ Turtoro @CJTDevilImagine if Connor McDavid breaks the all time playoff point record en route to only the second comeback from 3-0 down in Stanley Cup history.<br><br>How high does he launch up the GOAT list if he does it?
Bryan Hayes @HayesTSNMcDavid is a video game right now. Unstoppable. This is nuts.
SportsCenter @SportsCenterConnor McDavid right now: <a href="https://t.co/wdpVkCvAvU">pic.twitter.com/wdpVkCvAvU</a>
Faizal Khamisa @FaizalKhamisaLook, I don't know if the Oilers come all the way back and win 4 straight, but never has "if theres any team that can, it's this one" rung more true thanks to Connor McDavid. Truly the best.
McDavid was the star, but the Oilers also received goals from Connor Brown, Zach Hyman and Corey Perry. Goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed goals to Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson but still saved 30 of the 33 shots he faced.
It was more of the same for the Oilers, who had plenty of momentum despite the series deficit following a dominant 8-1 win in Saturday's Game 4. Florida pulled goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky during the previous loss after he and the entire team was overwhelmed by the Oilers' offensive attack, and the start of Game 5 did nothing to quell any lingering concerns.
Brown intercepted a pass and scored a short-handed goal on the breakaway he created to open the scoring in the first period.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceCONNOR BROWN GETS A SHORTY 🤯<br><br>OILERS TAKE A 1-0 LEAD IN GAME 5 <a href="https://t.co/kDzEwpeNXn">pic.twitter.com/kDzEwpeNXn</a>
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceIT'S A POWERPLAY GOAL FOR THE OILERS 👀<br><br>2-0 EDMONTON <a href="https://t.co/7dsnnv2tgK">pic.twitter.com/7dsnnv2tgK</a>
That was just the start of the initial onslaught for the Oilers, as McDavid shifted into takeover mode in the second period with assists on goals from Hyman and Perry to go along with his own goal. He glided through defenders with ease in a display of individual superstar brilliance that few in NHL history could have pulled off.
Yet the home team cut into three-goal deficits on multiple occasions with goals from Tkachuk and Rodrigues to keep the crowd fully engaged and apply pressure on an Edmonton team fighting for the survival of its championship dreams.
Never was that pressure more apparent than when Ekman-Larsson buried a goal on a Tkachuk assist less than five minutes after the start of the third period.
To the Oilers' credit, they withstood the pressure thanks to strong defense and play from Skinner. Fittingly, it was McDavid who scored the open-netter in the final seconds to clinch the win and force the series back to Edmonton for Friday's Game 6.
