Panthers hand Oilers 5th straight setback

Anton Lundell posted one goal and two assists as the host Florida Panthers overcame another Leon Draisaitl goal, defeating the slumping Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.

The Oilers have lost five straight games. Florida has won four of its past five games.

Draisaitl scored for the seventh straight game. He leads the NHL with 44 goals.

Fellow Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was held to one assist. Ironically, McDavid was drafted first overall 10 years ago at this facility in Sunrise.

With McDavid relatively quiet, it was little-known Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt who had the go-ahead goal with 8:52 left in the third. Schmidt was the trailer, taking a drop pass from A.J. Greer before ringing a shot in off the right post for a 3-2 lead.

Carter Verhaeghe and Uvis Balinskis had Florida's other goals, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves.

Zach Hyman and Brett Kulak had Edmonton's other goals, and Stuart Skinner made 32 saves.

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk missed his third straight game due to a lower-body injury. But Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen returned after he and his wife had a daughter.

Edmonton was without defenseman Darnell Nurse (undisclosed injury).

Florida appeared to take a 1-0 lead with 12:53 left in the first period. But Verhaeghe's would-be goal was negated by an offsides call.

It was the third straight game that a Panthers goal was wiped out by a video review.

The Panthers got on the board for real with 7:32 remaining in the first as Lundell won a face-off right back to Balinskis, who shot the puck in off the stick of Oilers forward Adam Henrique.

The Oilers tied the score with 5:19 left in the first as Kulak -- on the rush -- took a pass from Vasily Podkolzin. Kulak shot quickly from the left circle, handcuffing Bobrovsky to the far post.

With 4:30 remaining in the second, Florida took a 2-1 lead as Aaron Ekblad's pass deflected in off Lundell's left skate.

But the Oilers tied the score exactly two minutes later on the goal by Draisaitl. The play started when John Klingberg forced Mackie Samoskevich into a turnover in the neutral zone. Draisaitl swooped in, shielded the puck from defenseman Gustav Forsling before flipping his shot over Bobrovsky's glove.

After Schmidt's goal, Verhaeghe scored a goal that actually counted, giving Florida a 4-2 lead with 6:09 left.

Edmonton cut its deficit to 4-3 on Hyman's goal with 3:25 left. McDavid had the primary assist.

But the Panthers, who defeated the Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, beat Edmonton in both of this regular season's matchups. Florida also won 6-5 in Edmonton on Dec. 16.

--Field Level Media