Facing elimination in the Stanley Cup final and hoping to avoid being swept, the Edmonton Oilers got to the best possible start in Game 4.
After the Florida Panthers hit back-to-back posts, the Oilers took the puck the other way on a shorthanded odd-man rush.
A patient Connor Brown fed Mattias Janmark in front of goal, knocking the puck off a Florida player and in to take a 1-0 lead at 3:11.
Janmark turned provider minutes later when he connected with Adam Henrique, who managed to get the inside position in Sergei Bobrovsky’s crease for his third of the post-season at 7:48 — Edmonton’s first two-goal cushion of the final.
Vladimir Tarasenko got the visitors on the board at 11:26 when he deflected defenceman Gustav Forsling’s shot from the blue line after Cody Ceci turned the puck over.
The Panthers nearly equalized moments later but goaltender Stuart Skinner came across to deny Carter Verhaeghe on a 2-on-1.
The Oilers are down 3-0 in the series and must win four games in a row to hoist the Stanley Cup and end Canada’s 31-year drought.