Oilers look to expand series lead over Panthers after thrilling Game 1 victory
The Edmonton Oilers will look to expand their series lead against the Florida Panthers on Friday after a riveting 4-3 overtime victory Wednesday.
Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals is set for 6 p.m. MT/8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
The Oilers came from behind with three straight goals in Game 1, including Leon Draisatl's power-play winner — his second of the night — on a slick passing play with 31 seconds left in overtime.
The game was fast-paced and mean, with each team clocking 51 hits.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner made 32 saves in front of the deafening hometown crowd, while busy Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 46 of 50 shots.
Captain Connor McDavid and winger Kasperi Kapanen each recorded two assists in the victory, while Sam Bennett netted two goals for the Panthers.
Last year's series between the two teams went the full seven games, with Florida coming out on top.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after Game 1 that his club is better suited to face the Panthers this time around.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
42 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Edmonton Oilers need to up their gamesmanship to Florida's Rat Level
Yes, the Oilers could easily be up 2-0 on the Florida Panthers right now, secure in the knowledge that teams in that situation go on to win the series 93 per cent of the time. Article content But they've also been trailing in the third period at home in two overtime games and could just as easily be heading to Florida down 2-0 and staring down the barrel of another summer heartbreak. Article content Article content Through two games and nearly nine full periods of hockey there is still nothing to choose between the Oilers and Panthers. Each side has one win, each side has eight goals and each side will tell you it's going only getting tighter from here. Article content Article content This is shaping up to be the best Stanley Cup Final in a very long time, a vicious, fast-paced neck-and-neck conflict between the two most powerful teams in the NHL. And all we know for sure is that after stealing home ice advantage with Friday's 5-4 double-overtime win, it's advantage Florida. Article content Some thoughts, observations and advice as the Oilers head to the Florida swamp for Games 3 and 4: The Panthers are getting into Edmonton's kitchen. They're slopping pancake batter all over the counter, cooking bacon without using the splatter guard, leaving toast crumbs in the butter and egg shells wherever they fall. They left a royal mess behind in Game 2 and now it's on the Oilers to clean it up. Article content Article content Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk (Two Rats and a Turtle) were fantastic, exactly what the Panthers needed them to be. Article content They tormented the Oilers at every turn. They roughed up Edmonton's goalie, they face-washed Edmonton's toughest defenceman, they harassed Edmonton's best player. And they did it all with relative impunity, even laughing about it in the penalty box. Article content Count how often an Oiler turned to the referee, palms up and pleading for justice, after a dirty deed from Florida's pests. Then count how many times Florida was griping about Oilers running afoul of the law and you'll know who's winning the psychological battle. Article content When you play Florida, gamesmanship is every bit as important as Xs and Os and the Panthers don't lose that department very often.
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
O Canada: Finals matchup between Olympic teammates Gilgeous-Alexander, Nembhard getting attention
The NBA Finals. East vs. West. Indiana vs. Oklahoma City. Canada vs. ... Canada? It sure seemed like it at times in Game 1 of the series, anyway — and odds are, there will be more of those moments throughout the rest of this matchup between the Pacers and Thunder. There are four Canadians in the series, and two of them — NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Andrew Nembhard for the Pacers — went head-to-head plenty in Game 1. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points; Nembhard scored eight of his 14 in the fourth and was on the floor for the entirety of Indiana's 32-16 run that ended the game and turned a 15-point deficit into a one-point win. "He's a competitor. He's a winner," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Plays the game the right way on both ends of the floor. Really good player. Yeah, he's a winner for sure. No doubt." They have been playing alongside each other since they were kids and were teammates on Canada's national team at the Paris Olympics in 2024. And they saw plenty of each other on both ends of the floor in Game 1, plus weren't afraid to mix it up with a little extra push here or choice words there. Nothing over the line, but enough to remind the other that it's all business right now. "Nothing more than two guys wanting to win," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "No malicious intent behind it, just wanting to win." Canadian takeover in finals Oklahoma City's Lu Dort and Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin are the other two Canadians in the finals. The four Canadian players combined for 72 points in Game 1; that's the most ever in any finals game by players from any individual country other than the U.S. That smashed the previous mark for points from Canadians in a finals game; it was 34, all from Jamal Murray, for Denver in Game 3 against Miami in 2023. "It's amazing for our country," Nembhard said. It's not just Gilgeous-Alexander who has long-time familiarity with Nembhard. Thunder forward Chet Holmgren played with Nembhard at Gonzaga as well. "Obviously, he's my guy, great dude," Holmgren said. "I have a lot of compliments for him as a basketball player and a person. But we're playing against him right now, so I'm going to hold on to all those." Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knows the Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nembhard matchup might be viewed by some as a game within the game. He said Nembhard "loves the challenge" of matching wits with Gilgeous-Alexander. "I mean, you don't stop players today," Carlisle said. "You try to make it hard. He played with Shai on the Olympic team and so they have familiarity. They are both from Canada and they both have played a lot with and against each other over the years. But this is the ultimate challenge, a guy like him who is the MVP."
Edmonton Journal
43 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Oilers need to up their gamesmanship to Florida's Rat Level
Article content Through two games and nearly nine full periods of hockey there is still nothing to choose between the Oilers and Panthers. Each side has one win, each side has eight goals and each side will tell you it's going only getting tighter from here. This is shaping up to be the best Stanley Cup Final in a very long time, a vicious, fast-paced neck-and-neck conflict between the two most powerful teams in the NHL. And all we know for sure is that after stealing home ice advantage with Friday's 5-4 double-overtime win, it's advantage Florida. Some thoughts, observations and advice as the Oilers head to the Florida swamp for Games 3 and 4: COOKING WITH OIL The Panthers are getting into Edmonton's kitchen. They're slopping pancake batter all over the counter, cooking bacon without using the splatter guard, leaving toast crumbs in the butter and egg shells wherever they fall. They left a royal mess behind in Game 2 and now it's on the Oilers to clean it up.
