Oilers keep season alive, dominate Panthers in Game 4

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers lived to fight another day and they did so comfortably on Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Trailing 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers put together their best game of the series, thrashing the Panthers 8-1. 

Adam Henrique scored the game winner while Oilers captain Connor McDavid had four three points as broke tWayne Gretzky’s record  for most assists in a single postseason with 32. 

McDavid leads all skaters this postseason with 38 points. 

Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner played his best game of the series, stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced.

Mattias Janmark, Dylan Holloway, Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan McLeod and McDavid also scored for Edmonton.

After Darnell Nurse found the back of the net for Edmonton’s fifth goal 4:59 into the second, the Oilers chased Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky from the game — Anthony Stolarz would replace him. 

Bobrovsky, who entered Game 4 with a .953 save percentage, had played every minute this postseason for the Panthers up to that point.

Stolarz made his NHL playoff debut when he took over the crease. 

Vladimir Tarasenko scored the lone goal for the Panthers 11:26 into the first — at that point it was only 2-1 in favor of Edmonton. 

The Oilers scored four unanswered goals after Tarasenko had cut their lead to just one.

The Panthers will try to win the Cup again on Tuesday at home as the series shifts back down to Sunrise for Game 5 — they hold a 3-1 lead. 

Florida is undefeated this playoff after losing an elimination game (2-0).