The Florida Panthers traveled over 2,000 miles north for a crucial game five against the Edmonton Oilers this past weekend. With the Stanley Cup Finals tied at 2-2, there was a lot on the line.
The Panthers had suffered a terrible loss in Thursday night’s game four when they blew a 3-0 lead after the first period. The Oilers came back to tie it and scored in overtime. The final result of 5-4 allowed the Canadians to avoid a difficult series deficit.
Eddie Martinez, 29, from Coral Gables, headed to the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise to watch the game. He was filled with excitement as he entered the arena on Saturday.
“I can feel my heart ready to drop until that puck goes flying,” he said. “I have full faith in our guys to get this win.”
With the team on the road, hundreds of locals gathered to support their team at the Sunrise arena for a watch party.
The rink was empty, but the stands were packed with Panthers fans.
The game was played on big jumbotron screens for everyone to watch, from all angles of the arena.
Before the puck dropped, the Oilers switched their goalie from Stuart Skinner to Calvin Pickard, who started the postseason as the starter until game two of the second round against the Las Vegas Knights, when he sustained a lower body injury.
Pickard was also on the ice when the Oilers completed their historic comeback in Thursday’s game against the Panthers, so the team stuck with him.
When the game began, the fans erupted in a roar of cheers.
“Let’s go Panthers,” chants filled the arena from top to bottom.
It didn’t take long for the team to strike first as center Brad Marchand scored the first goal at the 10:48 mark of the first period.
Fans got up from their seats and cheered loudly. The sirens blasted, and the arena played a sound effect of a panther’s growl.
Alexander Rodriguez, 25, from Kendall, wasn’t shy to mention that this could be the start of a dynasty.
“To win two Stanley Cups in three years, you can’t deny how special this whole thing is,” he said. “I hope they take this in game six and finish things at home in front of the fans.”
As the game continued, the Panthers were hit with the first penalty of the game. Defensemen Seth Jones was called for interference at the 4:16 mark, which means he obstructed the movement of an opponent who didn’t have the puck.
The Oilers had the advantage of an extra player for the next two minutes, but failed to convert any shots on goal.
Shortly after the Panthers regained full strength, center Sam Bennett scored the second goal of the first period at the 1:54 mark.
Fans were ecstatic to see the team have such a great start.
Robert Kendrick, 26, from Fort Lauderdale, couldn’t believe how quickly the Panthers go on a roll.
“I knew they would be aggressive, but two goals in the first shocked me,” he said. “They need to keep it up.”
The Oilers began the next period desperate to get back into the game. But they failed to strike the puck past Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. No matter what plays they ran, nothing appeared to work.
The team entered the power play again after Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad tripped left wing Evander Kane. Once again, the Oilers failed to score.
The score remained at 2-0 at the end of the second period.
The arena was filled with so much enthusiasm that fans could taste sweet victory at their doorstep.
Maria Smith, 24, from Kendall, was excited to be part of the watch party experience.
“The team isn’t here, of course, but I think we can boost their spirits from home,” she said. “This is a great atmosphere, and we totally got this.”
The Panthers would strike again shortly after the final period began. Marchand scored his second goal of the game off an Oilers turnover, which had the fans extremely pumped.
Chants of “U.S.A.” began to break out, but the cheers were short-lived as Oilers center Connor McDavid scored the first goal for the team at the 12:36 mark. He was unable to express any joy as they still had a ton of ground to cover.
The Panthers responded in less than a minute, thanks to a goal scored by center Sam Reinhart. They were in full control of the game but still needed to finish it on a strong note.
At the 4:30 mark, the Oilers began to substitute in and out Pickard to allow an extra player on the ice for offensive purposes. The plan paid off momentarily as right wing Corey Perry scored the team’s second goal of the game.
However, their hopes of a comeback would be completely shut down after Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen scored on a longshot dagger toward an empty goal.
The final score of the game was 5-2.
Bobrovsky finished the game with 19 saves on 21 shots, another great defensive performance in these finals.
For the Panthers to win a game on the road, which could decide who takes home the Stanley Cup trophy, shows their grit and determination. Now, they’re just one victory away from their goal of back-to-back championships, which was last accomplished by the 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning.
Samantha Lopez, 34, from Hialeah, enjoyed her experience at Saturday’s watch party.
“The place was electric tonight,” she said. “You could just feel the confidence surge that we would win this game.”
The Panthers have a chance to close the series out and be declared champions on Tuesday. The game starts at 8 p.m. Eastern Time in Sunrise, and the most expensive ticket costs over $6,000 on SeatGeek to sit by the rink.
