It wasn’t necessarily Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but the first matchup between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena since Florida hoisted the Cup eight months ago had its share of intense moments.

It also had a familiar sight from that Game 7 by game’s end: Florida winning.

Anton Lundell had three points and Nate Schmidt scored the go-ahead goal with 8:52 left in regulation as the Panthers beat the Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night.

Florida improves to 36-21-3. Edmonton falls to 34-21-4.

Schmidt’s go-ahead goal came on a perfectly executed sequence that started with Lundell entering the offensive zone, spinning away from a pair of defenders and passing the puck to A.J. Greer. Greer then sent a drop pass to Schmidt, who fired a wrist shot from just outside the left circle that got past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Lundell also had the primary assist on Florida’s opening goal — a wrist shot from Uvis Balinskis 12:28 into the first period — and scored a goal with 4:30 left in the second period.

It was Lundell’s first three-point game of the season and gives him 40 points for the season — 14 goals and 26 assists. The 26 assists ties his single-season career-high set during his rookie season in 2021-22. His 40 points are four points shy of his career-high.

Carter Verhaeghe also scored a goal with 6:09 left to play after having a power-play goal in the first period overturned after Edmonton successfully challenged that the play was offside.

Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves.

Brett Kulak and Leon Draisaitl scored game-tying goals for the Oilers in the first and second periods before Florida scored two goals in the third to take the lead for good.

Zach Hyman got the Oilers back within a goal with 3:25 left but Florida held on from there to seal the win.

_____

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.