Panthers defense limits Oilers, drives Game 5 win in Stanley Cup Final

EDMONTON -- Sam Reinhart’s reaction to a goal against told the story of the Florida Panthers’ commitment to team defense as well as any blocked shot or deflected pass in their businesslike 5-2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on Saturday.

The Panthers forward was knocked to the ice by Connor McDavid, causing him to lose his check on the Oilers center, who finally broke free to score his first goal of the Cup Final to cut the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 at 7:24 of third period. An upset Reinhart slapped his stick against the boards and glass behind the net in frustration, though Florida still had a two-goal lead.

“I think I’m upset every time they get a goal,” Reinhart insisted.

Reinhart got some redemption by scoring from the left circle 46 seconds later to put the Panthers back up by three on their way to scoring five or more goals for the third time in the series. It was Florida’s team defensive play, though, that produced its most complete performance of the series and a chance to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season with another victory in Game 6 at home on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“It was a great effort for 60 minutes,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “I think, obviously, we defend by creating low amount of time and space for their players. So, that's a full team effort. It's up and down the ice, and it's not always in our 'D' zone. It's in the 'O' zone as well.

“So, yeah, a great group effort.”

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky did his part with 19 saves, including one on Connor Brown on a partial breakaway 29 seconds into the game, but he got a lot of help from his teammates with 17 shot blocks.

The Oilers had only 11 shots on goal, including seven at even strength, in the first two periods while the Panthers nursed a 2-0 lead into the third on first-period goals from Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett.

McDavid didn’t have a shot on goal through two periods. Edmonton’s forwards had just five total shots through the opening 40 minutes and finished with 11 for the game. The Oilers' vaunted power play went 0-for-3 -- the first time in 10 games that it failed to produce at least one goal.

“I thought guys did an amazing job with the skating, with the gap, with the sticks,” Bobrovksy said. “On the PK, that was probably the most block shots I have ever seen. So, the guys put on an unbelievable performance in front of me. It was a big one.”

One of the keys for the Panthers was the sustained offensive-zone pressure they generated with their forecheck, which forced the Oilers to play in their end more. That meant less time for the Panthers playing in the defensive zone.

"Certainly, it's the mindset of the group,” Reinhart said. “We're all bought into it. It feels like when we're defending our best, we have the puck a little bit more. You learn when it doesn't go well. Certainly, from game to game, there's improvements we can make. And I think we're probably defending a little bit less because maybe we had to talk a little bit because we were supporting it that much more.

“That makes it better when we're defending.”

Florida received a reminder in Game 4, when it let a 3-0 first-period lead slip away in a 5-4 overtime loss at home, of what can happen when it strays from its defensive structure. Getting back on the road, where the Panthers are 10-3 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, forced them to get back to it.

"It's not a big thing. It's the smallest things,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It's two feet of ice taken, a good stick, close support. When we got into the game in the second period of Game 4, we weren't that far off. We were just two feet off. It's these small margins of everything that happens on the ice. The danger of that team is always there. You've got to be a foot better, two feet better. Put a better stick, all those small things.”

That kind of defensive play has become part of Florida’s DNA in its three seasons under Maurice and has resulted in three consecutive trips to the Cup Final. Maurice passes the credit, though, to captain Aleksander Barkov, the talented center who has won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward three times, including the past two seasons.

“This is all about the compete of the players,” Maurice said. “When the captain of your team wins Selke Awards, that’s the foundation of your game.”

While some have focused on Barkov’s limited offensive production – his assist on Reinhart’s goal was his third point of the Cup Final – he’s been concentrating on the defensive side of the game. His line with Carter Verhaeghe and Reinhart has played a large role in holding McDavid in check. McDavid’s goal Saturday was his lone even-strength point in the past three games after he had five assists in the first two games.

“It’s a team effort defending guys like that,” Reinhart said. “We’ve known all series the challenge is there for us. No one really cares in our locker room who’s producing. It’s just a matter of someone is at the right times and that’s what we’ve had.”