SUNRISE — The Edmonton Oilers may have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the Panthers countered with the likes of Niko Mikkola and Kevin Stenlund on Monday night.
It was a night those two should remember.
The Oilers certainly will.
Spurred on by two goals from Mikkola and a go-ahead shot from Stenlund, the Panthers won their sixth straight game on home ice as they beat the Oilers 5-3 in front of another sellout crowd at The Bank.
Florida (12-5-1) has now won its past two games and seven of the past eight.
The Oilers, who led 2-0 in the first, are 5-11-1 and went 0-2 on their Florida trip.
On Monday night, the Panthers watched McDavid scored the opener with Evander Kane making it 2-0 before he started his own personal parade to the penalty box.
Florida got its first goal on a Carter Verhaeghe goal courtesy of a power play set in motion by Kane.
The Panthers tied it at 2 with 407 left in the first on a strange play which led to Mikkola scoring.
Florida’s strong push, which was evident throughout the game, created that second goal of the night as Zach Hyman lost his stick in defending the zone. When it appeared Edmonton had control and was going to clear the puck, Hyman raced to his bench to retrieve a new stick.
Only that clearing pass hit him in the back, stayed in the zone and was picked up by Florida.
By the time Hyman got back in the slot, Mikkola had already scored.
Down 3-2 after McDavid got his second on a penalty shot, the Panthers tied it when Mikkola’s odd-angled shot hit goalie Calvin Pickard’s downed pad — but slipped through and ricocheted off his skate and through.
The Panthers got their first lead of the night on another aggressive charge in the Edmonton zone with Stenlund hopping on a thick rebound from the right circle.
Sam Bennett added the final goal of the night into an empty net with 42.6 seconds left.
— Mikkola came into the season with a total of five goals and had a career-high three goals in 2021-22 with the Blues; through his first 18 games with the Panthers, he now has three goals.
— Stenlund is close to tying his career-high in goals as he now has five this season.
1. Niko Mikkola, Florida
2. Connor McDavid, Edmonton
3. Kevin Stenlund, Florida
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