FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. >> Staying out of the penalty box is a good place to start for all the players involved in the Stanley Cup Final.

After talking all week about being more disciplined, the Edmonton Oilers were whistled for high-sticking a couple of times and tripping once in the first 16 minutes of Game 4 on Thursday night. Naturally, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice for Florida Panthers, and then a slashing call put the Oilers on the power play and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ goal sparked their comeback that tied the series.

“It’s a good series,” Tkachuk said. “Special teams, both teams’ power play seemed to be clicking.”

Florida is clicking at a higher rate at 33%, going 7 of 21 with the man advantage, compared with 20% on 4 of 20 for Edmonton. In a final knotted 2-2 that has often been as tight as it can be with three games already decided in overtime, the Panthers’ power play production has the potential to be a difference-maker.

Until Tkachuk broke through, it had been the second unit of Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Nate Schmidt doing most of the damage.

“We’re building a lot of chemistry playing together,” Verhaeghe said. “We have so many great players on the unit. Both units have been pretty good. I mean, we just want to move the puck right and get pucks to the net.”

The Panthers have five power play goals over the past two games and have scored at least one every night in the final. The Oilers have also cracked Sergei Bobrovsky at least once on the power play each game. Nugent-Hopkins scoring Thursday night could be a sign Connor McDavid and Co. are revving up against what has been a fairly effective Florida penalty kill.

Coach Paul Maurice believes that task has gone “reasonably well.”

“I think they’re still going to generate some action,” Maurice said Friday before flying across North America. “I think the even strength chances are pretty tight through four games.”

Ekholm’s block

Tkachuk almost completed a hat trick in Game 4, and it could have changed the course of the entire series. With the score tied at 3-all late in the second period, he had the puck with a wide-open net to shoot at.

Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm got his right skate and leg in front of Tkachuk’s shot just in time.

“I didn’t even know that the net was empty or anything — I was just in the moment trying to get as big as possible,” Ekholm said. “It ended up hitting me. It was obviously a big block at the time. I haven’t thought too much more about it. It was a block, and sometimes you need those.”

Better Barkov?

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov picked up his first two points of the series in Game 4 with assists on Tkachuk’s power-play goals. He has none at even strength.

Some of that could be connected to how much energy Barkov — a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward — is expending trying to keep McDavid’s line and also Leon Draisaitl from scoring. He does not want to use that as an excuse.

“It’s tough to say,” Barkov said. “You need to know, those two guys, where they are on the ice. Of course you’re trying to have your head on a swivel, but I think I could be better, for sure.”

Pickard saves the day for Oilers in a backup role

A flat and undisciplined start by the Edmonton Oilers left coach Kris Knoblauch no choice but to turn to Plan B — as in backup goalie Calvin Pickard — a mere 20 minutes into Game 4 of their Stanley Cup Final series against Florida.

With no disrespect to starter Stuart Skinner, who had little help in allowing three goals on 17 shots, it was the wakeup call the Oilers needed on Thursday night.

Pickard stopped 22 of 23 shots and the Oilers overcame a 3-0 first-period deficit in a 5-4 overtime win over the Florida Panthers to even their Stanley Cup Final series at 2.

“Unfortunate for Stu to be pulled there. Didn’t give him many opportunities,” Knoblauch said. “We needed to change things up, and the change was great the way he played.”

Pickard improved to 7-0 this postseason and has put himself in position to take over the starting duties for Game 5 with the series returning to Edmonton on Saturday.

“I felt for him today,” Pickard said of Skinner, who was also yanked in Game 3 after allowing five goals on 23 shots in an eventual 6-1 loss. “He came ready to play today, made some big saves early. We just didn’t have it as a team early.”

That changed when the Oilers responded by scoring three times in outshooting the Panthers 17-10 in the second period in what amounted to a near historic comeback.

Edmonton became the first road team to rally from down three to win a Cup final outing since the Montreal Canadiens against the Seattle Metropolitans in 1919. Only six teams have come back from down three in the final in NHL history, the last time in 2006.

Though Pickard allowed Sam Reinhart’s bad-angle goal to force overtime with 20 seconds left in regulation, the 10-year journeyman enjoyed numerous standout moments before Leon Draisaitl sealed the win 11:18 into the extra frame with his NHL single-postseason record fourth overtime goal.

No save was bigger than the one Pickard made some seven minutes into overtime, when Sam Bennett’s shot from the slot caught the top of the goalie’s glove and caromed off the crossbar.

“I felt it hit my glove. I looked in my glove and didn’t see it in there. And then I heard some big cheers and I’m like, ‘Oh, this couldn’t have gone in,’” Pickard said, not knowing what happened until he watched the replay on the scoreboard. “Yeah, good save and good bounce, too.”

Another key save came 12 minutes into the second period on the third shot Pickard faced and with Edmonton trailing 3-1.

Jake Walman’s giveaway in his own end, led to Florida’s Anton Lundell driving in alone only to have Pickard kick out his right pad to make the initial stop and then smother the rebound.

“I think that save kind of got me going,” Pickard said.