June 6 (UPI) — Brad Marchand carved ice on a breakaway and slid the puck through goalie Stuart Skinner’s legs in double overtime Friday to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4, prevent a historic collapse and tie the Stanley Cup Final at 1-1.
“To be honest, I blacked out,” Marchand said on the TNT broadcast, when asked about his Game 2 winner. “I don’t even know where it went. It was obviously a fortuitous bounce. We’ll take it.”
Marchand, who scored twice, won the game 8:09 into the second bonus period in Edmonton. The Panthers, who led 3-1 on Wednesday in Game 1 before losing in overtime, nearly collapsed again when they surrendered the latest regulation goal in the history of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday, but leaned on their depth for late scoring opportunities.
“I think it helps a ton with the amount of experience this team has,” Marchand said. “A lot of guys have been through big moments. They feel comfortable in them. … We definitely have that confidence in our group that we can be resilient in situations.”
BRAD MARCHAND WINS GAME 2 IN @ENERGIZER DOUBLE OVERTIME #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/gJPpH215U4— NHL (@NHL) June 7, 2025
The Oilers outshot the Panthers 46-42, but totaled 23 giveaways. The Panthers recorded 17 giveaways, 12 takeaways and 60 hits, compared to 39 for their foes. Defenseman Seth Jones logged a goal and assist for the Panthers. Forward Anton Lundell and defenseman Nate Schmidt registered two assists apiece.
Sam Bennett lit the lamp for the first score of Game 2. With that goal, the Panthers forward set an NHL record for the most road goals (12) scored in a single postseason.
The first score of the night was prompted by an errant initial attempt by Carter Verhaeghe. Fellow Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues collected the loose puck and hit it into the slot for Schmidt, who spotted Bennett in the right circle. Bennett finished the play by swiping a wrist shot by goaltender Skinner’s glove side.
The Oilers took advantage of a Panthers turnover in the neutral zone and leveled the score about 5:32 later. Forward Evander Kane finished that play with a wicked blast over net minder Sergei Bobrovsky’s glove and into the right side of the net.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard collected a rebound off his own shot and scored from long range on a follow-up attempt for a 2-1 lead 9:19 into the first period.
Jones tied the score once again for the Panthers with a goal at the 11:37 mark. But star forward Connor McDavid helped the Oilers grab back the lead by carving up the Panthers defense during a power play and feeding Leon Draisaitl for a goal 60 seconds later.
The Panthers’ offense clawed back in the second period, outshooting the Oilers 14-9 and scoring twice to regain momentum. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tied the game when he sniped a long range shot off the right post and in behind Skinner 8:23 into the bridge frame.
Marchand gave the Panthers their first lead when he scored a shorthanded goal off a breakaway. Lundell fed Marchand for that score, which came with 7:51 remaining in the period.
The Panthers carried their narrow edge into the third period. Bobrovsky and the defense swarmed over the final minutes, but the Oilers pulled Skinner to put another skater on the ice. They finally broke through when forward Corey Perry found the net with less than 18 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime.
Defenseman Jake Walman had an initial attempt deflected at the start of the sequence. The puck then bounced into the slot, where it found Perry. He proceeded to smack a shot off defenders and into the left side of the net.
The Panthers dominated scoring opportunities in the first overtime, outshooting the Oilers 13-9, but hit the post on one chance and failed to convert on a breakaway later the first bonus period.
They continued to threaten in the second overtime, throwing waves of skaters onto the ice and racing toward the Oilers net. Lundell corralled the puck deep in Panthers territory to spark the game-winner. He then needled a pass between the Oilers defense, finding Marchand in the neutral zone.
Marchand fought off the pressure before calmly pushing the puck between Skinner’s legs, quieting the home crowd and tying the series.
“The boys were a little tired, but that’s a huge win for us,” Bennett said. “We fought back. That’s tough to regroup, But our team did a great job of refocusing.”
The Panthers will host the Oilers in Game 3 of the best-of-seven game series at 8 p.m. EDT Monday in Sunrise, Fla. Game 4 will be Thursday in Sunrise.
The series will head back to Edmonton on June 14 for Game 5. All Stanley Cup Final games will air at 8 p.m. EDT on TNT and Max.
