Oilers beat Panthers in thrilling Stanley Cup Final Game 4 OT win, with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in attendance
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce beat the heat in Florida — for a great game of hockey.
The pair attended Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, as the Edmonton Oilers came from behind to earn a 5-4 overtime win, stunning the Florida Panthers at home. With the win, the Oilers tied the series at 2-2 as it heads back to Edmonton for Game 5.
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Leon Draisaitl hit the winner for Edmonton in overtime for his second OT winner of the series.
The singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end were seated in a box in the Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. It is unclear which team the two were rooting for, though Kelce wore red and blended right in with the Panthers home crowd.
Swift and Kelce arrived shortly before puck drop, with a helicopter landing near the arena, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. The VIP entrance and the elevators to the press box were closed to the public, presumably while the two entered the arena.
The high-spirited rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup has lived up to expectations. The Panthers took a 2-1 series lead Monday, off a 6-1 win that erupted into a melee. Three of the four games have gone into overtime.
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With Swift in the house Thursday, Florida got red hot in the first period, scoring three goals in less than 10 minutes. Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk scored the first two goals.
Edmonton adjusted, pulling goaltender Stuart Skinner — notably, a Swifitie in his own right — to start the second period, replacing him with Calvin Pickard. Then the Oilers surged back, scoring three goals in the second period to tie things at 3-3.
Things stayed fast and competitive throughout the third period, as both teams scrambled to get a tie-breaking goal. Then, with under six minutes remaining, Oilers defenseman Jake Walman slid a shot past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to break the stalemate.
But Florida wasn’t finished yet: Sam Reinhart, who already had two assists on the night, notched a huge equalizing goal with 19.5 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Swift and Kelce were right along with the fans, in terms of the stress and excitement of overtime hockey.
The Oilers nearly got the golden goal early in the overtime period, with the puck bouncing off the post in a frenzy in front of the goal. Then, almost seven minutes in, the Panthers nearly ended it with a shot from Sam Bennett that hit the crossbar; a minute later, another close shot from Florida center Eetu Luostarinen was brilliantly saved by Pickard.
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Near the halfway point of overtime, Draisaitl again came in clutch, hitting his second OT goal of the series to help the Oilers tie the series at 2-2.
The series heads back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday, before coming back to Sunrise on Tuesday. It’s unclear if Swift and Kelce will return for another game in the series, but both teams might need the boost.
