Stanley Cup Final Game 6 live blog: Panthers vs. Oilers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Welcome to Game 6 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final from Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The Florida Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 after taking a 3-0 lead. NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price was in the arena and will provide all the sights and sounds from Game 6 with our Stanley Cup Final live blog.

10:58 p.m. ET

Play LaBamba baby.

The Oilers have won Game 6 and we are heading to Florida for a do-or-die Game 7 on Monday night.

They might be able to hear this crowd in Florida, that’s how loud it is in here.

We will all be in Florida on Monday. Can’t wait. Thanks for reading along tonight and see you Monday.

10:53 p.m. ET

We are going back to Florida. The Oilers now lead it 5-1 with two open-net goals in a span of 12 seconds from Darnell Nurse and Ryan McLeod And this place is absolutely McLOUD. See what I did there.

I actually was typing it when I saw the video board guy put it up there, so I didn’t rip him off, honestly.

For the first time in this building, they are chanting “We Want the Cup,” and you have to wonder what the Panthers are thinking.

Winning the Cup has been their mission since they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final last season and they looked to be on their way when they led 3-0, but now it’s one game for all the marbles in Sunrise on Monday night.

10:44 p.m. ET

We are witnessing history here with the Edmonton 5:05 away form forcing a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after trailing 3-0 in the series.

It’s simply stunning what is going on here. It’s not just that the Oilers have won three in a row after losing the first three, but each team looks completely different. The Panthers were on the verge of a sweep and looked in control, but now they look flat, on their heels and honestly, in trouble.

You can’t tell me the pressure of being the first team to blow a 3-0 lead in the Cup Final since 1942 won’t gnaw on them from tonight until Monday night.

The crowd can certainly feel it. The “Let’s Go Oilers” chants are getting louder and louder.

10:34 p.m. ET

The Panthers power play comes up empty again, this time in a very crucial spot – trailing 3-1 with about 14 minutes left in the game.

In a spot where the power-play goal would’ve really put the Oilers and fans on edge, it fails to score or even generate a good a chance.

I do find it funny in here that they are constantly flashing the call letters and number for a country music station on the big video screen, but I have not heard a country music song in this arena in three games. Not complaining, just saying.

Former Oiler Ales Hemsky is here. And now T-shirt guy is going to his act again.

I gotta tell you, it’s a pretty good gig – going to arenas and getting fans pumped up by taking multiple T-shirts off. Great work if you can get it.

10:30 p.m. ET

For the first time all night, the Panthers appear to have found their legs and their game, building off the Sasha Barkov goal early in the third period that made this a 3-1 goal.

And now the Panthers are going to the power play on a high-stick by Derek Ryan. Clearly, a huge power play here.

The fans here are chanting “Let’s Go Oilers” again, perhaps sensing the Panthers are slowly getting some momentum here. But time is running out.

They play this nutty song that I have never heard before, it’s called “Tell Me Ma” by Sham Rock. It sounds like a Scottish war song with a disco beat. I need to get more with it.

10:23 p.m. ET

Hold the reservation at the Elbo Room. Aleksander Barkov just scored a pretty goal 1:28 into the third to make it a 3-1 lead and that Zach Hyman goal at the end of the second is looking bigger and bigger.

Let’s see if that goal gives the Panthers any kind of push. If they can get one in the next 10 minutes or so without allowing one, things will get very tight in here. Remember, the Oilers HAVE TO win this game. The Panthers still have a little wiggle room.

10:18 p.m. ET

The third period has begun and we are 20 minutes away from being dragged back to the Elbo Room and Florida for a Game 7 on Monday night.

Still no official word that Nickelback is in the house, but we’ll see.

We’ll also see if the Panthers try something to generate some offense or some momentum in the final period here.

Now, I did predict the Panthers would win this series in five games, but the night before Game 5 I was asked at the world-famous bar by the one and only Paul Bissonnette what would happen in Game 5 and I told him I thought we would be back in the Elbo Room the night before a Game 7.

Of course, this game is not over, but if the Panthers are going to win this game, they are going to have to do something they haven’t done much of lately – score goals.

Since the start of the third period of Game 4, the Panthers have been outscored 18-4. For perspective, they gave up 39 goals through 17 games in the first three rounds.

9:59 p.m. ET

It’s complete bedlam in this arena with the Oilers taking a 3-0 lead on a breakaway goal from Zach Hyman with 1:40 left in the second.

It’s bananas in here. And the “Ser-gei, Ser-gei” chants are getting louder and louder as the second period comes to a close.

The goal came a few minutes after Adam Henrique just missed an open net on a feed from behind the net from Ryan McLeod.

Even worse news for the Panthers is they trail 3-0 and Connor McDavid doesn’t even have a point in this game.

With about five minutes left in the second period, the DJ cranked out one of my all-time favorites, “She Sells Sanctuary,” by The Cult. They then showed a video by Oscar Klefbom, and then Andy Moog was in the crowd, which went wild when they saw him.

I actually saw someone wearing a Klefbom jersey walking around Edmonton today. You see so many jerseys in this town on game day, it’s awesome.

After Moog appeared, the DJ played “Burn It To the Ground” by Nickelback, who are apparently in the building, according the NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.

In case you were wondering, I had to Shazam that Nickelback song. They are not exactly my favorite.

9:47 p.m. ET

They are not booing, they are saying “STUUUUUUU,” for Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, who just helped keep the Panthers power play ice cold. Florida has scored just one power-play goal in this Final and it was way back when in Game 2 from Evan Rodrigues.

If the Panthers are going to win another game this season, they need the power play to give them something.

The Panthers got the power play at 10:57 when Connor McDavid took down Aleksander Barkov, who was cutting to the net after taking a pass from Sam Reinhart.

Barkov, not surprisingly, has been the Panthers’ best player tonight on each end of the ice. He scored the goal that was waved off (see explanation below) and is doing a good job keeping McDavid in check.

9:40 p.m. ET

By the way, here is the explanation on the offsides call that negated the Panthers goal:

Explanation: Video review determined that Florida’s Sam Reinhart preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an off-side position prior to the Panthers’ goal. According to Rule 38.9, “The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room, after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the On-Ice Official(s), determines that one or more Players on the attacking team preceded the puck into the attacking zone prior to the goal being scored and that, as a result, the play should have been stopped for an “Off-Side” infraction; where this standard is met, the goal will be disallowed.”

The clock is reset to show 19:09 (0:51 elapsed time), when the off-side infraction occurred.

9:37 p.m. ET

We have 12 left in the second period and the Panthers have four shots on goal. Five. The Oilers have nine blocks and honestly, it seems like more. They are beating the Panthers at their own game and it’s really startling to see.

But it’s still just a 2-0 game, and if Florida can get any kind of goal before the Oilers make it 3-0, anything can happen.

Despite it feeling the other way, the Oilers HAVE TO win this game. The Panthers do not.

Good stat from Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch at the morning skate. He said the Oilers are 6-0 this postseason when facing elimination or having a chance to eliminate someone. Their numbers in those games – 4.5 goals for, 1.88 goals against. Crazy.

9:30 p.m. ET

Matthew Tkachuk is trying to wake the Panthers up from their 3-game slumber. Him and Mattias Janmark took coincidental minors for roughing at 3:05 of the period.

Honestly, the Panthers need something because they look nothing like the team that shut down the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final or the team that took a 3-0 lead in this series. They have 4 shots on goal through 25 minutes of play in this one.

They can talk all they want about not feeling the pressure of blowing a 3-0 lead, but they are starting to toy with the idea of being on the wrong side of hockey history, here.

Ok, quick food question here. I just saw a guy in the press box eating a piece of pizza and he had put the yellow nacho sauce on the pizza.

Yay or nay?

9:22 p.m. ET

Things have gone from bad to worse from the Panthers.

They appeared to score 56 seconds into the second period on a goal by Aleksander Barkov -- 10 seconds after the Oilers made it 2-0 game – but the Oilers challenged for offsides and well, they were right. So no goal.

And this place is going bonkers.

The Oilers took the 2-0 lead on a goal from Adam Henrique 46 seconds in and 2-on-1 with Mattias Janmark.

I saw a tweet from NHL.com friend and heavy metal god Brian Slagel saying this Florida team doesn’t look like the same team he saw in Games 1 and 2, and he’s right.

And now, after Florida seemed to get some life with a goal, it’s waved off. Yeesh.

9 p.m. ET

The first period is over and the Oilers lead 1-0 on a goal from Warren Foegele at 7:27.

The Oilers put pressure on at the end of the period, but don’t score. Still, it was a dominating period for Edmonton, outshooting Florida, 11-2.

Honestly, if you’re the Panthers, you have to be happy it’s only a 1-0 game, and happy that Aleksander Barkov played a strong period, but you have to be concerned about a lack of offense.

Tom Gulitti is happy as after the guy chugged the hard seltzer on the big board, the next few fans chugged beer.

I’m not sure I understand paying $15 for a beer and drinking it in a matter of seconds to make 19,000 strangers happy, but to each his own.

8:50 p.m. ET

The Panthers dodged a huge bullet a few minutes ago as the Oilers were able to get Connor McDavid’s line on the ice against the Panthers’ fourth line, but no damage was done.

Still, the Oilers are carrying the play here, outshooting Florida 10-2 with 4:37 left in the first. The Panthers are being Panthered by the Oilers. Early in these playoffs, it was Florida that was not allowing any shots on goal, but right now, the Oilers are doing it.

And the Oilers are going to the power play with Eetu Luostarinen going off for slashing. They just played Jane by Starship, but I think everyone thinks the lyrics say Shame.

They just showed former Oilers player Raffi Torres on the big board and the fans went nuts.

Speaking of the big video board, they just showed a fan chug a …. wait for it, hard seltzer. I mean if you are going to be on a video board seen by 19,000 or so fans, chug a beer for goodness sakes.

8:43 p.m. ET

The Panthers power play comes up empty again. It has not been great since Game 3. Hey, at least it didn’t allow a shorthanded goal like it did in Games 4 and 5.

I think the question for the Panthers right now is who is going to score for them. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart have been silent the past three or so games, so it may be up to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk to get on the board.

We have our second ice shoveling of the first period with 9:02 left and now the T-shirt guy is at it again, doing his shtick to “Mony, Mony.” NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti claims T-shirt guy has done this bit in other arenas, so apologies to Dancing Larry of the Rangers. We know where his heart is.

But I think Tom is the only who cares, with T-shirt guy getting the decibel level up to about 110 in here.

8:38 p.m. ET

And just like that, the Oilers have the lead and Leon Draisaitl is a big reason why. Draisaitl brought the puck over the blue line and set up Warren Foegele for a one-timer past Bobrovsky and with 12:28 left in the first, it’s 1-0 Edmonton.

Not the start the Panthers wanted, but one the fans did, who are losing their minds while riding Bobrovsky at the same time.

However, Florida is going on the power play with Mattias Janmark going off for slashing.

In his NHL.com blog before Game 6, Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins talked about how loud it is and how it’s hard for the players to hear each other on the bench.

8:33 p.m. ET

Something to watch here. The ice guys are doing a little maintenance in Bobrovsky’s crease, so perhaps he’s not happy with the ice situation in the blue paint.

The Panthers certainly look like they have found their game as they are getting some sustained zone time, but they can’t get any shots through to Stuart Skinner.

Meanwhile, the Oilers are firing away for Sergei Bobrovsky, including Evan Bouchard, who just unleashed a wicked wrist shot that stayed out of the net.

We have 13:06 left in the second period during our first shovel break and it’s 0-0. The Oilers are outshooting the Panthers 5-1.

8:28 p.m. ET

The fans are really getting on Sergei Bobrovsky here. They chanted “Ser-gei, Ser-gei” during the start of the U.S. anthem and have been riding him ever since.

He made a big glove save on a Leon Draisaitl shot, but it looked more like a desperation save than a confident save.

During the first stoppage, there are competing “Ser-gei, Ser-gei” chants going in the building.

Like I said in my last post, the Panthers really need something good to happen here just to take the crowd out of it for a bit.

They just had a nice sustained offensive possession, but didn’t get a shot on goal and the Oilers came right down and Mattias Janmark got a nice shot on goal.

As if the fans need to be told to get louder, the DJ just played “Turn Up The Radio” by Autograph.

The Oilers fans are really geared up. Each team an Oilers player brings the puck into the offensive zone they go nuts; they are just dying to explode here.

8:20 p.m. ET

Puck dropeth!!!

Game 6 has begun here at Rogers Place and fans sound like they are ready to blow the roof off this place.

I don’t mean to sound like I know what I’m talking about, but the first goal of this game could be huge.

The Panthers have not led since Game 3 of this series, and if the Oilers can get a lead tonight, their confidence level, which is already sky high, might get as high as the fans at the Snoop Dogg show last night.

The Panthers, meanwhile, need a spark. They are in the Final and had a 3-0 lead for a reason and if they can get going early, well, look out.

I expect a huge game from Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers. He’s not the captain, but this is his team. He’s the heart and soul and I think he will try to will them to the win.

Of course, the Oilers have the best player on the planet in McDavid and he’s playing that way, so it may take a village to slow him down.

Also keep an eye on Leon Draisaitl. He said this morning he was not happy with the way he was playing, so if he ever get going, look out.

Once again, before the game they showed this quote from Yogi McDavid on the video board.

“Just keep cheering. It’s not over until it’s over.”

We’ll see if it’s over tonight or if ends on Monday.

Here we go.

8:05 p.m. ET

We are a few minutes away from the national anthems, which will no doubt blow the roof off this place. It’s really an incredible scene, with the fans being quiet during the “Star-Spangled Banner” and then singing along with “O Canada.” There are no obnoxious “Let’s Go team name here” during the anthems. Everyone is respectful and it makes for an unreal experience.

It was quite a morning here in Edmonton.

When me and NHL.com columnist Nick Cotsonika were walking to the rink this morning around 9 a.m., Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky passed us. He was out for a walk and look very calm. He even gave us a little nod hello.

When we got to the rink, there was this guy who calls himself Crazy Bill right outside the media gate. He was there to thank everyone – media, arena staff, League staff – for their efforts around the Cup Final.

After lunch, I was going to get an iced tea and on my way, I walked by a barber shop and pretty sure I saw Oilers GM Ken Holland getting a haircut.

And the four guys dressed as the rat exterminators are back. Hey, whatever works, right?

This town loves its Oilers and I expect the fans will do whatever they can to get a win tonight, but the Panthers may have other plans.

I’ll check back right around puck drop.

7:48 p.m. ET

The teams are on the ice for warmups and as expected, Evander Kane is not out there.

I'm amazed at the job the arena people here do, and everywhere. Less that 24 hours ago, there was a Snoop Dogg concert at Rogers Place and now were are ready for the biggest hockey game in this city since 1990.

This city was absolutely bonkers today. In addition to the giant line for the Moss Pit, we saw what looked like a Zamboni driving down the street.

There is a major development in the press box, though. For the first two games there was what seemed like an endless bowl of Reese’s Pieces. Well, that is nowhere to be found tonight, replaced with peanut M&M’s. It seems like the Oilers are tempting fate by changing up the candy selection. We will see.

The arena is still about half empty with about 40 minutes before puck drop. The weather is absolutely beautiful here today, with temperatures in the low 70s, no humidity, so I’m sure those fans enjoying some outdoor refreshment are getting their last sips in ahead of what will be the last NHL game played in Canada this season and perhaps the last NHL game played anywhere this season.

7:15 p.m. ET

Welcome back to Edmonton. Though none of us were actually dragged back to Alberta as Connor McDavid said was his want, I think many of the fans and media are stunned that there will be a Game 6 tonight. It looked improbable after the Panthers took a 3-0 lead. Even after the Oilers won Game 4, I think many -- except for the Oilers -- felt it would end in Game 5, with Florida winning it all at home. But McDavid, who is on a record tear, would not let that happen and now the goal is for him and Oilers to drag everyone back to Florida for Game 7, which would be the first Cup Final Game 7 since the St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in 2019.

The Panthers have one lineup change tonight, with Nick Cousins coming back into the lineup and Kyle Okposo taking a seat.

As for the Oilers, Evander Kane, who hasn’t played since Game 2, took part in practice yesterday, but is not expected to play.

What is expected is for this place to be an absolute madhouse. It was outside with a massive line of folks waiting to get into the Moss Pit, the outdoor viewing area. The line stretched around a few blocks with people and Oilers jersey as far as the eye could see.

I’ll be back during warmups with any updates.