Stanley Cup Final Game 5: Edmonton Oilers 5, Florida Panthers 3

For a second consecutive game, the Florida Panthers failed to close out the Stanley Cup Final.

A three-goal deficit was too much to overcome despite a furious rally as Florida fell 5-3 to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Florida still leads the best-of-7 series 3-2 but the series now shifts back to Edmonton, with Game 6 set for 8 p.m. Friday.

Connor McDavid was involved in each of Edmonton’s final four goals, scoring twice and dishing out a pair of assists, to bring his point total for the playoffs to 42 (eight goals, 34 assists).

Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues each had a goal and an assist for Florida. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for the Panthers.

It’s a one-goal game.

The Panthers are close to the comeback.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson put Florida within a goal, 4-3, when he fired a wrist shot from the left circle on a behind-the-net feed from Matthew Tkachuk 4:04 into the third period.

One period left for a comeback

If the Panthers want to win the Stanley Cup tonight, they’re going to need a big third period to overcome a two-goal deficit.

They’re showing fight and have had their share of looks — Florida has a 52-32 edge in shot attempts in the game, including 33-17 in the second period — but need to find a way to get more past Stuart Skinner and simultaneously keep Edmonton off the board.

Panthers quickly get the goal back

Just 12 seconds after Corey Perry’s power-play goal, the Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues scored to get the deficit back to just two goals, 4-2, with 7:52 left in the second period.

It was Rodrigues’ fourth goal of the Stanley Cup Final.

Another Edmonton power play goal

Connor McDavid and his unreal skating and stickwork made quick work of the Panthers defense to set up Corey Perry for a power-play goal — the Oilers’ second goal on the man advantage tonight — to give the Oilers a 4-1 lead.

Tkachuk breaks up the shutout

The Panthers got on the board 6:53 into the second period on a goal from Matthew Tkachuk — his first of the Stanley Cup Final.

Tkachuk’s goal came after Paul Maurice flipped a winger on each of the top two lines. Carter Verhaeghe is on the top line now with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, while Evan Rodrigues is now with Sam Bennett and Tkachuk.

Rodrigues had the primary assist on Tkachuk’s goal.

Edmonton adds another

Connor McDavid put the Oilers up 3-0 five minutes into the second period with a sharp-angle shot that beat Sergei Bobrovsky.

McDavid has two points already this game to bring his playoff total to 40 (seven goals, 33 assists).

Oilers score on special teams again

Edmonton doubled its lead 1:58 into the second period with Zach Hyman deflecting in an Evan Bouchard shot from the point in the dying seconds of a power play.

Both Edmonton goals so far have come on special teams — first shorthanded, then on the power play.

First period thoughts

The Oilers’ shorthanded goal is the difference so far.

The Panthers were held to just six shots on goal, all of which came in the opening six minutes of the game. They had nine shots blocked overall in the frame, including seven over the final 14:01 following their final shot of the frame that actually got to Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Also, dating back to the third period of Game 3, the Panthers have now been outscored 11-1 over the past five periods — 2-0 in the third period of Game 3, 8-1 over the course of Game 4 and 1-0 in the first period of Game 5.

Edmonton opens with shorthanded goal again

For the second consecutive game, the Oilers opened scoring with a shorthanded goal.

Connor Brown took advantage of a Brandon Montour giveaway at the point for a breakaway and beat Sergei Bobrovsky one-on-one.

The Panthers have now given up five shorthanded goals this postseason.

Series schedule and recaps

▪ Game 1: Panthers star goaltender and Vezina Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrobsky put up arguably his best performance of the playoffs, stopped all 32 shots he faced in a 3-0 win for his second shutout of these Stanley Cup playoffs.

It’s the first shutout in Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Final since Roberto Luongo turned aside all 36 shots he faced in the 2011 Cup Final-opener for the Vancouver Canucks against the Boston Bruins.

Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen scored for Florida to give Bobrovsky all the cushion he needed.

▪ Game 2: The Panthers rallied from an early deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 and take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

Niko Mikkola tied the game in the second period and Evan Rodrigues scored twice in the third to give Florida a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Aaron Ekblad capped scoring with an empty-net goal.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped the final 18 shots he faced.

▪ Game 3: Florida withstood a late Edmonton rally to win Game 3 4-3 on Thrusday at Edmonton’s Rogers Place to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist. Vladimir Tarasenko and Sam Bennett also scored, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 of 35 shots he faced.

▪ Game 4:The Edmonton Oilers blew out the Panthers 8-1 on Saturday in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, dashing Florida’s first chance to wrap up the series.

Connor McDavid had four points (one goal, three assists), Dylan Holloway had two goals and an assist, and Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark all had two points apiece.

▪ Game 5: Tonight

▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, June 21, Edmonton’s Rogers Place, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, June 24, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

Pregame Panthers reading

Need to catch up ahead of Game 5? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald’s coverage over the past few days.

▪ “Same old Bobby”: Panthers aren’t worried about Sergei Bobrovsky after his Game 4 benching

▪ Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk, with just one point in the Stanley Cup Final, wants Game 5 to be “best game of the series”

▪ Ryan Lomberg is drawing into the lineup for Game 5.

▪ Panthers are keeping their emotions in check with the Stanley Cup in sight