Marchand comes up big again, Bennett stays hot in Game 5 of Stanley Cup Final

Who played well in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it’s easy to tell, sometimes it isn’t. NHL.com graded the players in a 5-2 win by the Florida Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday. Here are the players that stood out the most.

Honor roll

Brad Marchand (Florida Panthers): The veteran forward was at it again in Game 5, scoring twice. He started by giving Florida a 1-0 lead at 9:12 of the first period. He also had the first goal just 56 seconds into Game 3. Marchand has six goals in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career, and that’s the most by any player since Esa Tikkanen with the Oilers in 1988. The 37-year-old continues to show that age is nothing but a number.

Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers): What a postseason the forward is having, and he added to his already impressive stats with his 15th goal of the playoffs at 18:06 of the first period. Bennett is also on a six-game road goal streak, the fifth player in NHL history with a streak that long. His 13 road goals during the postseason is an NHL record. Did we mention he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1?

Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers): It’s hard to believe the Oilers captain didn’t have a goal through the first four games of the Cup Final, but it’s true. Well, he finally got one in Game 5, and it was a sweet move, as it usually is. McDavid’s goal came at 7:24 of the third period, giving the crowd life and getting the Oilers to within 3-1.

Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers): For Barkov, it’s not so much about the goals he scores as the goals he prevents. The Panthers center has been outstanding in matching up against Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who did get his first goal of the Final on Saturday, but Barkov wasn’t on the ice. McDavid had six assists in the previous four games. There’s no shutting down McDavid completely, but Barkov’s done a good job on him through five games.

Corey Perry (Edmonton Oilers): The 40-year-old scored his 10th goal of the playoffs, tying a career high he had with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014-15. His goal at 16:47 of the third period got the Oilers to within 4-2.

Stock watch

Zach Hyman appreciation: ⬆️ The Rogers Place crowd made sure they showed plenty of love when the Oilers forward was shown on the video board during the first television time out on Saturday. Hyman’s postseason ended when he sustained a dislocated wrist after a collision with Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. Hyman has been traveling with the Oilers throughout the Cup Final, but his being in the building is definitely a way to rouse the crowd.

Oilers first periods: ⬇️ It’s become a big problem for Edmonton and their lack of an energetic start was there again on Saturday. Once again, they trailed after 20 minutes, this time down 2-0 instead of 3-0 like they were in Game 4. The Oilers had three shots on goal in the first, the last one coming at 8:50 of the period.

Panthers penalty kill: ⬆️ You play with fire every time you give the Oilers a power play and the Panthers did that in the second, when they gave them two within about four minutes. But Florida has been able to keep the Oilers’ power play at bay. They didn’t allow Edmonton a shot on its first power play (McDavid had an attempt hit the post) and they killed off the other two. The Panthers are 19-for-23 on the kill in the Cup Final.

Calvin Pickard: ⬇️ It was understandable why the Oilers played the backup goalie in Game 5. He was 7-0 this postseason entering this game and in Game 4 he played brilliantly in relief of Stuart Skinner, who was pulled after allowing three goals on 17 shots in the first period. But the Panthers got to Pickard on Saturday, as he allowed four goals on 18 shots.

Florida response: ⬆️ This was a 180-degree turn from Game 4 for the Panthers, when they coughed up a 3-0 lead after the first period and eventually lost 5-4 in overtime. When McDavid scored at 7:24 of the third period, the Oilers got the jolt they needed. The momentum shift lasted 46 seconds, which is when Sam Reinhart scored, at 8:10, to restore Florida’s three-goal lead, 4-1. That’s how you answer.

What we learned

Panthers learn from Game 4

Yes, they got into some penalty trouble in the second period, but they didn’t break. They kept the pressure on the Oilers, kept defending and didn’t get back on their heels, as several Panthers said they did after they got out to a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 4. Now they’ll get their chance to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Oilers need their best game

This is it. The Oilers go back to Florida needing to win to force a Game 7 in the Final. Granted, they’ve been here before. Last season they were down 3-0 in the best-of-7 Final to the Panthers and forced Game 7. Being down is nothing new to the Oilers, be it in a series or in a game. Their comeback ability has been great this postseason. They’ve never needed a comeback more than they do now.