Draisaitl's OT winner caps historic Oilers comeback

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Edmonton Oilers didn't just win Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to even their series with the Florida Panthers at 2-2. They accomplished something the NHL hasn't seen in 106 years.

With their 5-4 overtime win on Thursday night, Edmonton became the first road team in Stanley Cup Final history to rally from a deficit of at least three goals and win since the Montreal Canadiens rallied to defeat the Seattle Metropolitans in overtime in 1919.

Leon Draisaitl's 11th goal of the playoffs ended Game 4 in extra time for the Oilers. Home teams with at least a three-goal lead in the Stanley Cup Final were 158-1 before Thursday night.

"I think that once again it shows you that our group never quits," Draisaitl said. "I think we believe that no matter how bad it is, if we get over that hump of adversity we're going to keep pushing, we're going to keep coming, and eventually it'll break."

Draisaitl made NHL history of his own in the victory. This was his NHL record fourth overtime game-winning goal in the 2025 postseason, the most ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also set the regular-season record with six this season.

Draisaitl's dramatic goal Thursday night came in a game in which the Oilers trailed 3-0 after the first period.

"We sat back too much," defenseman Jake Walman said. "We watched a little too much. We didn't get to our game at all in that first period. That's pretty much the thing we talked about in the intermission -- get to our game and see what happens."

That sentiment was conveyed in an impactful intermission speech by forward Corey Perry, the 40-year-old in his 20th NHL season, whose words inspired and refocused the Oilers for a second period that saw them tie the score at 3-3.

"I'm not going to share exactly what he said, but the message was that he's been in these moments," Draisaitl said. "He's not a guy that speaks up or yells at guys all the time. That's not his character. So you know when a guy like that -- with that many games, that much experience, he's won everything there is to win, he knows how to win -- when he speaks up, you listen. It grabs your attention."

The Oilers didn't have that attention at the start.

Edmonton was trying to rebound from a devastating 6-1 loss in Game 3. Goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was pulled from that loss, got the start Thursday night because of his ability to bounce back after defeats along with his 6-0 record in Game 4s in his career.

But Skinner's night would end early, as he was replaced by goalie Calvin Pickard in the second period. Pickard made 18 straight saves before Florida's Sam Reinhart sent the game to overtime with a goal at 19:40 the third period, scoring with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on the bench for an extra skater.

"It's hard to describe the situation that he gets put in," Draisaitl said of Pickard. "We're down 3-0. He's coming in. He's cold. It's not easy, and he makes those stops at the key moments when we really need them. He's one of the best in the league at making the right save at the right time. He's been nothing but spectacular for us."

Pickard took over the Oilers' crease for an ineffective Skinner in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, going 6-0 for Edmonton. But an injury in their second-round series against Vegas gave Skinner the starting job again through the next two rounds.

Pickard came up with some clutch stops throughout his 22-save effort in Game 4, none bigger than a glove save on Florida's Sam Bennett that sent the puck behind him off the crossbar and out of trouble in overtime.

"I read it pretty well," Pickard said. "I looked in my glove and it wasn't in there. I heard the crowd 'ooh' and 'ahh' and I got a good bounce."

Pickard became the sixth goaltender to win a Stanley Cup Final game in relief.

The Oilers started Game 4 allowing a barrage of shots to the Panthers and once again parading to the penalty box. Matthew Tkachuk scored to make it 1-0 on a 5-on-3 power player with Evander Kane in the penalty box for high-sticking and Darnell Nurse in there for tripping. Tkachuk scored again 5:16 later on a power-play goal after Mattias Ekholm went off for high-sticking Brad Marchand. Center Anton Lundell made it 3-0 with 42 seconds left in the first period.

Skinner gave up three goals on 17 shots on Thursday, struggling again after lasting 43:27 in the Oilers' loss in Game 3, in which he gave up five goals on 23 shots. Pickard entered on Monday night and stopped seven of eight shots.

With Pickard between the pipes, the Oilers began their comeback. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted on the power play -- on one of three penalties the Panthers took in the period -- from McDavid and Draisaitl. Nurse snuck one past Bobrovsky at 12:47 to cut the Florida advantage to one goal.

Just 10 seconds after Nurse scored, Florida captain Aleksander Barkov took a delay of game penalty. It was the moment the Oilers were waiting for: the best defensive forward in the NHL in the penalty box and a chance for their offensive stars to tie the score. But Bobrovsky was all the penalty kill needed, making five saves, including two on McDavid on the same scoring chance.

Undaunted, the Oilers kept fighting and tied the score with 4:55 left in the second period. Nurse set up forward Vasily Podkolzin for his second of the playoffs, knotting it at 3-3.

It remained that way until 6:24 of the third period when a great Oilers forecheck pinned the Panthers' top line in their zone before Walman blasted the puck for the 4-3 lead. But the Oilers couldn't hold it, as Florida knotted the score on Reinhart's late goal.

After an overtime that saw both teams get their chances, it was Draisaitl who ended it at 11:18. After a great pass by Podkolzin to set him up, Draisaitl pushed the puck toward the Florida net and it deflected off defenseman Niko Mikkola and past Bobrovsky (30 saves).

Draisaitl is now tied with McDavid with 32 points in the playoffs. He is the fifth player in NHL history with at least 30 points in consecutive postseasons and is tied with McDavid and Mark Messier for second all-time with three 30-point postseasons in total; Wayne Gretzky did it six times.

"He's as clutch as it gets," Pickard said of Draisaitl. "He's been playing great. Always scoring big goals at big times, and now we're going home with momentum."

For Florida, it was a squandered opportunity to move one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.

"It's the best of three," Tkachuk said. "With losing this one tonight, we've got to go in there and win one eventually. So hopefully you can do it in Game 5."