Panthers visit Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
Kids from Pierceland, Saskatchewan, in the city on vacation, stop to touch and look at a nearly 4 meter replica of the Stanley Cup trophy, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, that is a permanent installation in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series between the Florida Panthers the Edmonton Oilers. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
ice hockey
By STEPHEN WHYNO
The second incarnation of the Florida Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final opens in the opposite corner of North America from a year ago.
Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton, where fans in the hockey-crazed capital of Alberta get to see their team start a series at home for the first time during this playoff run.
'To be able to start the Stanley Cup Final on home ice, you can just feel a buzz in the city and these people deserve it,' NHL MVP finalist Leon Draisaitl said. 'They've waited a long time for this and, obviously to us, it's all about finishing it.'
Starting at home last year, the Panthers went up two games to none and won the first game in Edmonton to take a 3-0 series lead. They lost the next three before winning Game 7 to capture the first title in franchise history.
Florida is in the final for a third consecutive season and is four wins away from becoming the NHL's first back-to-back champions since cross-state rival Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21.
'It's why we're here: We're playing hockey in June for the third straight year and a chance to be a part of history,' standout winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'We've had two kicks at it so far, and they've been very different summers, so we're hoping for the good one.'
The Panthers have won 10 of 11 playoff series since Tkachuk joined in a trade from Calgary in 2022 and coach Paul Maurice took over that same offseason.
As one of those 10 opponents who ended up on the wrong side of the handshake line against the burgeoning hockey powerhouse in South Florida, the Oilers don't want history to repeat itself. But veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm, back from an extended injury absence, doesn't want to load up too much pressure on Game 1.
'You ask every single guy in our locker room, we want to come out flying, we want to play great and we want to win Game 1," Ekholm said. 'You go to their locker room, they're probably saying the same thing. One team's going to win it and one team's not.'
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Leon Draisaitl scores in overtime to lift Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
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Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Oilers beat Panthers in OT to win NHL Stanley Cup Final opener
Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in over-time to beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in the opening game of the NHL Stanley Cup Final ice hockey Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal with 31 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Oilers over Florida 4-3 in Wednesday's opening game of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. The 29-year-old German center scored his second goal of the game on a power play from in front of the net, Oilers captain Connor McDavid taking a pass from Corey Perry and firing the puck to Draisaitl, who beat Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. "It was just a number of really good plays -- great pass by Corey down low to get it to Davo (McDavid) and then obviously a great pass by Davo," Draisaitl told Canada's Sportsnet. Draisaitl's NHL record-tying third over-time goal of the playoffs gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, which continues Friday in Edmonton. "It's a great start for us, but, yeah, we've got to regroup and get ready for game two," Draisaitl said. Czech winger Tomas Nosek of defending champion Florida received a delay of game penalty for knocking the puck over the glass from his defensive zone with 1:43 remaining in the overtime, setting the stage for the decider as the Oilers battled back from a two-goal deficit. "We've done it all year, especially in the post-season," Draisaitl said. "We stick with it and we're never going to quit." No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993, but the Oilers hope to end the 32-year drought and win their first Cup since 1990. It's a rematch of last year's final, when Florida beat Edmonton in seven games, the Oilers pushing that series to the limit after losing the first three games. "I think we're just a little bit more mature (than last year)," Draisaitl told US broadcaster TNT. "Obviously every other game writes its own story, but I thought we hung in there. We were mature and obviously we just needed one look and capitalized on that." No NHL team has defeated the same rival in back-to-back finals since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978. The Panthers, who lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, fell to 8-3 on the road in this year's playoffs while the Oilers improved to 7-1 on home ice in the post-season. Draisaitl opened the scoring after only 66 seconds, blasting a rebound into an open net after Bobrovsky made two of his 42 saves. Florida's Sam Bennett knocked in an equalizer 10:49 into the first period after being tripped into Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. Brad Marchand, traded from Boston to Florida in March, put the Panthers ahead 2-1 only 1:41 later on a power play goal. Bennett delivered his second goal of the night and team-record 12th of the playoffs 2:00 into the second period, but the Oilers answered 77 seconds later, Swedish left wing Viktor Arvidsson lifting Edmonton within 3-2. Skinner, a 26-year-old Canadian, made 16 of his 29 saves in the second period to keep the Oilers close. Edmonton found the equalizer with 13:27 remaining in regulation as McDavid's shot was knocked in by Swedish defenseman Mattias Ekholm. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Panthers visit Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
Kids from Pierceland, Saskatchewan, in the city on vacation, stop to touch and look at a nearly 4 meter replica of the Stanley Cup trophy, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, that is a permanent installation in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series between the Florida Panthers the Edmonton Oilers. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) ice hockey By STEPHEN WHYNO The second incarnation of the Florida Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final opens in the opposite corner of North America from a year ago. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton, where fans in the hockey-crazed capital of Alberta get to see their team start a series at home for the first time during this playoff run. 'To be able to start the Stanley Cup Final on home ice, you can just feel a buzz in the city and these people deserve it,' NHL MVP finalist Leon Draisaitl said. 'They've waited a long time for this and, obviously to us, it's all about finishing it.' Starting at home last year, the Panthers went up two games to none and won the first game in Edmonton to take a 3-0 series lead. They lost the next three before winning Game 7 to capture the first title in franchise history. Florida is in the final for a third consecutive season and is four wins away from becoming the NHL's first back-to-back champions since cross-state rival Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21. 'It's why we're here: We're playing hockey in June for the third straight year and a chance to be a part of history,' standout winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'We've had two kicks at it so far, and they've been very different summers, so we're hoping for the good one.' The Panthers have won 10 of 11 playoff series since Tkachuk joined in a trade from Calgary in 2022 and coach Paul Maurice took over that same offseason. As one of those 10 opponents who ended up on the wrong side of the handshake line against the burgeoning hockey powerhouse in South Florida, the Oilers don't want history to repeat itself. But veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm, back from an extended injury absence, doesn't want to load up too much pressure on Game 1. 'You ask every single guy in our locker room, we want to come out flying, we want to play great and we want to win Game 1," Ekholm said. 'You go to their locker room, they're probably saying the same thing. One team's going to win it and one team's not.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
