Oilers beat Panthers 4-3 in Game 1 of Stanley Cup final

The Edmonton Oilers took their first step toward winning the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers in the opening game of their best-of-seven series.

 

Leon Draisaitl scored on a power play with just 31 seconds to go in the first extra period, his second goal of the night and ninth of the postseason. Edmonton got the man advantage when Tomas Nosek of Florida flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty.

 

The German star kept it simple when discussing Game 1.

 

“It was an evenly played game. We got it done when it mattered,” he said.

 

Oilers captain Connor McDavid was happy to talk up his teammate.

 

“He’s invaluable,” McDavid said. “You name it, he does it. There may be nobody better.”

Edmonton trailed 3-1 in the second but cut the margin to 3-2 on a slapshot by Viktor Arvidsson with 16:43 remaining in the period. Mattias Ekholm tied it at 3-3 with 13:27 to go in the third. It was the defenceman’s first goal of the playoffs.

 

The Oilers hope to become the first Canadian team since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens to capture the Stanley Cup. Edmonton has won five times but not since 1990.

 

Florida is attempting to win back-to-back championships after edging the Oilers in seven games last summer. This is the 12th Stanley Cup rematch in National Hockey League history and the first in 40 years.

 

The Oilers got off to a quick start when Draisaitl netted his eighth goal of the playoffs barely a minute after the opening puck drop.

 

The Panthers tied it about midway through the first period when Sam Bennett deflected a shot by Carter Verhaeghe past Stuart Skinner. It was Bennett’s 11th goal of the playoffs.

 

Edmonton challenged the play for goalie interference but lost, giving Florida a power play.

 

The Panthers then took a 2-1 lead on the man advantage when Brad Marchand netted a sharp wrist shot with 7:30 left in the first period.

 

The Oilers dominated much of the play and had 14-7 lead in shots over the first 20 minutes. After allowing the early score, Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky settled down nicely.

 

Bobrovsky finished with 42 saves in the losing cause. Stuart Skinner of the Oilers stopped 29 out of 32 shots.

 

“He was great again. He gave us a chance to win,” McDavid said of Skinner. “That’s all we you can ask from your goalie.”

For the past three years the two teams have proven to be the best in the NHL. The Panthers lost in the finals in 2023, won in 2024 and are back again. The Oilers made it to the the Western Conference final in 2023, lost to the Panthers in seven games in 2024 and won 12 of their last 14 games in this year’s postseason to get to this point again.

 

Journeyman Kasperi Kapanen assisted on Draisaitl’s first goal and Ekholm’s tying goal in the third period. Kapanen was claimed on waivers by Edmonton in November.

 

“My blood pressure is high,” the right wing said. “It was nerve-wracking. It’s just overwhelming.

 

“I’m just trying to enjoy it and I’m showing it at times. I feel like I have been in some big moments. Maybe it’s a matter of luck or just being in the right place at the right time. I’m just cherishing these moments.”

 

The puck drops for Game 2 on Friday in Edmonton.

 

 

 

 

 

This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail