Takeaways from Oilers' Game 4 win in Stanley Cup Final
Edmonton Oilers left wing Dylan Holloway (55) celebrates a gaol with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci (5) center Leon Draisaitl (29) and defenseman Brett Kulak (27) in the first period against the Florida Panthers in game four of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place.
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination, dominating the Florida Panthers 8-1 on Saturday to force a Game 5. Here are three takeaways from the action.
The offense finally came alive for Oilers
Despite plenty of opportunities, the Oilers offense had been snake-bitten for most of the series heading into Game 4. However, the goals finally came on Saturday, eight to be exact.
Edmonton planned to attack Sergei Bobrovsky early and often, and this strategy worked perfectly. Crashing the net at every opportunity, the Oilers created havoc in front of the Panthers' net, capitalizing several times on cross-ice passes.
They may have laid the groundwork for Saturday's turnaround in the third period of Game 3, which saw the Oilers score twice in a 4-3 loss. However, this was the first sustained breakout the offense has seen, which is a promising development for an Edmonton team that scored only four goals coming into Game 4.
Stuart Skinner was solid
Following a seven-goal victory, saying goaltending had a significant impact is a tough sell. However, Skinner's performance shouldn't be that easy to overshadow.
The 25-year-old wasn't the reason Edmonton entered the night in a 3-0 series hole, but he'd been shaky at best, allowing nine goals over the three games with an unsightly .868 save percentage. Though, Skinner was borderline sensational on Saturday, turning away 32 of 33 Florida shots in Game 4.
And before the game got out of hand, he came up big when called upon. With the Oilers nursing a 2-1 lead in the first period, Skinner made a sprawling save to deny the tying goal before intermission. If he failed in that moment, there's no telling how things would've shaken out.
A rough night for Bob
Sergei Bobrovsky had been brilliant throughout the Final and was a massive reason why the Panthers had won three straight over the Oilers. However, Saturday wasn't his day.
After turning away 82 of 86 shots in the first three games, Bobrovsky struggled in Game 4. He allowed five goals off only 17 shots, prompting head coach Paul Maurice to pull him only 4:59 into the second period following a goal by defenseman Darnell Nurse.
After the loss, Maurice found one benefit from Saturday's one-sided loss.
"Bob got some rest," Maurice told Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "We'll take it."
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