The Oilers are dragging the Panthers back to Alberta.

Connor McDavid is the overwhelming reason why.

The superstar captain had two goals and two assists as Edmonton held on for a 5-3 victory Tuesday to cut FloridaB次元官网网址檚 lead in the Stanley Cup final to 3-2.

Connor Brow

Davo with the dagger 馃棥锔�

B次元官网网址� Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers)

n, Zach Hyman and Corey Perry also scored for the visiting Oilers, who have won two straight B次元官网网址� including an 8-1 whitewash on home ice in Game 4 B次元官网网址� facing elimination after dropping the best-of-seven seriesB次元官网网址� first three contests.

Stuart Skinner made 30 saves. Evan Bouchard had three assists.

Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues, with a goal and an assist each, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson replied for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots for the Panthers, a group now feeling the squeeze following consecutive losses with the Cup in the building and a chance to clinch the franchiseB次元官网网址檚 first-ever title.

Game 6 in a championship round with the furthest distance between cities in NHL history at more than 4,000 kilometres goes Friday in Edmonton. Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday back in South Florida.

McDavidB次元官网网址檚 42 points this spring already represents the fourth-best individual playoff performance in league history behind Wayne Gretzky (47 points, 1984-85), Mario Lemieux (44 points, 1990-91) and Gretzky (43 points, 1987-88).

The 27-year-oldB次元官网网址檚 eight points in Cup elimination games B次元官网网址� he put up four Saturday B次元官网网址� also set the record for one title series.

The Oilers are looking to capture their first Cup in 34 years B次元官网网址� and the first for a Canadian team since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993.

The five-time winners are also aiming to become just the fifth team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win a series. The 1942 Toronto Maple are the only club to accomplish the feat in a final.

The Panthers came out of the gates flying at Amerant Bank Arena, forcing Skinner to make big stops on both Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad in the opening moments.

Florida went to the power play a few minutes later, but the Oilers scored their second short-handed goal in as many games to open the scoring B次元官网网址� a first in the history of the final.

Brown, who waited until his 55th contest to score this season, intercepted a no-look pass by Panthers defenceman Brandon Montour at EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 blue line and outraced Aleksander Barkov before making a deke to the backhand on an outstretched Bobrovsky for his second goal of the playoffs at 5:30.

The OilersB次元官网网址� struggling man advantage had two minutes of fresh ice and a number of looks to start the second before finally breaking through at 5-on-4 when BouchardB次元官网网址檚 blast hit Hyman in front for his playoff-leading 15th at 1:58.

McDavid then snuck his seventh under Bobrovsky B次元官网网址� suddenly human after stopping 82-of-86 shots through the first three games B次元官网网址� from a sharp angle at the five-minute mark for a 3-1 lead.

Tkachuk got Florida on the board 1:53 later when he fired his sixth, and first since May 22, upstairs.

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Edmonton struck late on another power play at 11:54 when McDavid wove into the offensive zone and found Perry on a spectacular setup for the veteran wingerB次元官网网址檚 first.

Rodrigues scored his seventh of the post-season, and fourth of the final, 1:16 later to make it 4-2.

Ekman-Larsson brought the Panthers to within one at 4:04 of the third period with his second before McDavid iced it into the empty net to force Game 6.

A group that rebounded after starting the season 2-9-1, came back from three deficits against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the playoffs, and fell behind the Dallas Stars 2-1 in the Western Conference final, the Oilers now sit just two wins from improbable glory.

DRAG B次元官网网址楨M BACK

McDavid was the first Edmonton player to use the phrase B次元官网网址渄rag B次元官网网址榚m back to AlbertaB次元官网网址� after Game 4 before Brown uttered the same words Tuesday morning.

B次元官网网址淵ou (media members) have been doing the flight B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 a long flight,B次元官网网址� McDavid said when asked about the rallying cry. B次元官网网址淵ou guys know what itB次元官网网址檚 like. ItB次元官网网址檚 not the most enjoyable flight, so just make (the Panthers) go on one more plane ride.B次元官网网址�

STORY TIME

A published author of two childrenB次元官网网址檚 books, Hyman was asked if heB次元官网网址檚 penning another work on the teamB次元官网网址檚 push through adversity this season.

B次元官网网址淲e have a job to do first,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t would make for a heck of a story B次元官网网址� so letB次元官网网址檚 go do it.B次元官网网址�

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press