Carter Verhaeghe scored a series-high five goals, including the game winner in the seventh game as Florida topped Edmonton, four games to three as Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, simulated the NHL championship series which begins Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.

Florida got off to a fast start in the series, taking the first two at home by counts of 5-4 and 6-2. The Panthers won the opener on a tiebreaking goal by Anton Lundell midway through the third period, then used two goals in each period and sharp goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky (32 saves) for the Game 2 triumph.

When the scene switched north of the border, Edmonton rebounded with two straight wins, 3-1 and 5-2, with Connor McDavid scoring four, including a hat trick in Game 4, then won at Florida, 2-1, to get to within a game of the title.

But Florida scored four unanswered third-period goals to erase a 4-1 Oilers lead in Game 6 to send it back to the Sunshine State, where Verhaegue’s marker with 12:39 left broke a 2-2 tie before tallies by Matthew Tkachuk, his fourth of the series, and Gustav Forsling, iced Game 7 at 5-2.

Edmonton was led by McDavid’s five goals and four by Zach Hyman.

Game 1 1  2  3     F

Edmonton   3  0  1  –  4  

Florida    3  0  2  –  5  

Game 2 1  2  3     F

Edmonton   1  0  1  –  2  

Florida    2  2  2  –  6

Game 3     1  2  3     F 

Florida    0  0  1  –  1  

Edmonton   2  0  1  –  3

Game 4     1  2  3     F 

Florida    1  0  1  –  2  

Edmonton   2  1  2  –  5

Game 5     1  2  3     F 

Edmonton   1  1  0  –  2  

Florida    0  0  1  –  1

Game 6     1  2  3     F 

Florida    0  1  4  –  5  

Edmonton   3  1  0  –  4

Game 7     1  2  3     F 

Edmonton   0  2  0  –  2  

Florida    2  0  3  –  5