Stanley Cup Final live updates: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers, Game 2
Will the Florida Panthers even up the series?
Or will they fall behind 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Final before they get to home ice?
After an overtime defeat in the series opener against the Edmonton Oilers, the Panthers know they have to respond on Friday night to keep serious hopes of repeating as champions alive.
It's a tall task. Will they get it done?
Puck drop for Game 2 from Edmonton's Rogers Place is at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on TNT and truTV and is available via stream on Max.
Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary.
Series schedule
▪ Game 1 — Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (overtime): The Panthers had a two-goal lead early in the second period but couldn't hold on as Edmonton tied the game early in the third and won it on a Leon Draisaitl power-play goal with 31 seconds left in overtime.
▪ Game 2: Tonight
▪ Game 3: Monday, June 9, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 4: Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place
▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 20, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place
Pregame reading
Need to catch up ahead of Game 2? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past few days.
▪ With margin for error thin in Cup Final, Panthers need to regroup after Game 1 overtime loss
▪ With two goals in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final, Sam Bennett makes Panthers history
▪ Maurice's message to Nosek after game-deciding penalty in Florida's Game 1 Cup Final loss
▪ Will Panthers make lineup changes for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final?
▪ Joining the Florida Panthers 'revitalized' Seth Jones. The next goal: Win a Stanley Cup
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Top Oilers d-man struggling against Panthers (again). Any solutions?
Darnell Nurse is once again an enigma wrapped in a conundrum, shrouded in difficult questions for the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton's Stanley Cup hopes rest to some large degree on figuring out the riddle of Nurse's game. Can they unlocked all he has to bring, which is substantial? Or will he and his coaches squander their opportunity? This regular season Nurse likely had his best season as a professional, moving the puck well and defending with confidence and aggression. But he's now and then struggled mightily in the 2025 playoffs, and at this moment against the Panthers he's having a super rough patch. In Game 2, especially, he struggled to move the puck, often making unforced icings that locked his team in its own end, not to mention unforced turnovers that led to dangerous shots against. But the problem can be fixed, I strongly suspect. For whatever reason, a major difference maker for Nurse and the Oilers is which d-man gets paired with Nurse. With some partners, he's solid, even outstanding, playing sound but aggressive defence and moving the puck tape-to-tape. With other partners, he's out of position on defence, missing his checks and his skill moving the puck starts to evaporate. In the playoffs this year, Nurse has played his best hockey with water bug Troy Stecher. In the first nine games, without Stecher, Nurse helped create nine Grade A shots at even strength, but made mistakes on 19 against. That made Nurse a liability for the Oilers. But after Ty Emberson was replaced by Stecher, and the quick, smart and effective Stecher teamed up with Nurse, Nurse made 12 major contributions to Grade A shots in the next six games, with 16 major mistakes on Grade A shots against. That was a much better ratio for a d-man, a solid signal that he and Stecher were getting the job done. After Mattias Ekholm got healthy for the final game against Dallas, Stecher was sent to the pressbox Nurse has since been teamed up with Brett Kulak for the last three games, including the first two games against Florida. Nurse has made two major contributions to Grade A shots at even strength, but 13 major mistakes on Grade A shots against in the three games. It's his worst stretch of the playoffs. Kulak has been holding his own, but Nurse has wilted. It's worth noting that Nurse and Kulak weren't a particularly strong partnership in the regular season, 16 goals for and 19 goals against in 428 even strength minutes. Why would the Oilers expect the iffy pairing to now play well against tougher competition? It might well have been worth a try but it's not pay out, so why place the same bet? It's time to change it up. For Nurse, this is a repeat of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs where the Oilers struggled to find a d-man partner who could combine with Nurse to give the team effective minutes. Vincent Desharnais, Kulak and Cody Ceci all tried but all played mediocre hockey at best at Nurse's side, with Nurse in the same boat. It all came to a head in Game 1 of the Final against Florida where the partnership of Nurse and Ceci was on the ice for the first two Panthers goals, with both veteran d-men making mistakes on both goals. It was a key reason that the Oilers lost a game where they dominated in Grade A shots, 16 to 8, a game the team might otherwise have won. That proved to be a dear price in a tight series, no? The Oilers made a drastic move. They had already inserted young d-man Philip Broberg into the line-up to replace struggling Vincent Desharnais against Dallas. Broberg provided far better puck movement than Desharnais. In Game 2 against Florida, the Oilers then put raw Broberg with the veteran Nurse. They weren't perfect together. They leaked some Grade A shots against in the next six games of the Final. But after being the culprit on two goals against in Game 1, Nurse was the culprit on just two goals against at even strength for the entirely of the next six games, while at the same time making major contributions to four Oilers even strength goals. That's the kind of result the Oilers could use right now. It might well be a great idea for coaches Kris Knoblauch and Paul Coffey to juggle the d-man pairings for Game 3, just as they did last year against Florida. The coaches certainly have the jam to make such moves. They've done so repeatedly, including this year putting Stecher in for Emberson this year. Any move to rectify this situation is complicated because the Oilers have two tried and effective defensive pairings just now, with Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, plus Jake Walman and John Klingberg. Walman and Klingberg has been the most used Oilers d-man partnership at even strength in the playoffs, 200 minutes together, six goals for, six goals against, 50 Goals For Percentage (GF%), not good, not bad. They create a good number of dangerous moments on the attack, but have had a few hiccups on defence. I'd consider switching them up, at least if that helps find Nurse the right partner. I don't think it's wise to mess with Bouchard and Ekholm. They've been a good-to-great partnership for several years. Yes, the Oilers get more offence out of Bouchard and dynamic Jake Walman together, and perhaps the team might move to that when they're in need of a goal in the third period. But does it really make sense to break up Bouchard and Ekholm? Besides, Bouchard and Nurse were often partners in the first nine games of the 2025 playoffs, and their partnership was a mess with neither player bringing his best at that time. Klingberg and Nurse would make for an interesting partnership. They've played together 60 even strength minutes in the playoffs and been on the ice for five goals for, not one against. That would mean two lefties in Walman and Kulak together on the other Oilers pairing with Bouchard and Ekholm rounding out the group. That might work. But the best idea might be to go with Nurse and Walman. They haven't played much together in the playoffs, just 20 minutes, but they played 114 minutes together in the regular season, with left shot Walman on his off-side. They were on the ice for eight goals for and two against at that time. Not bad at all. The other two pairings would then be John Klingberg and Brett Kulak, with Bouchard-Ekholm the top pairing. Make sense? Worth a try? The downside is you have two pairings in Nurse-Walman and Klingberg-Kulak who have played relatively little together. The upside is that Walman looks like he can have some success with Nurse, and that his sound play will bring out the best in the Nurse. At his best, Nurse can be a force. Again, he was often a force in the regular season. He had stretches of outstanding two-way play. The Oilers need him to do so again in the playoffs. Of course, the Oilers might also try seven d-men, bringing Stecher back in the line-up and 11 forwards. I'm not a huge fan of this arrangement, as the constant juggling of the d-men often leaves them all confused. I'd much rather the Oilers go with three consistent pairings that work. That's the best recipe for victory. Knoblauch and Coffey have proven themselves to be master chefs in the past in this regard. They simply need to do it again right now.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After 2 overtime games, Panthers and Oilers relish days off as Stanley Cup Final shifts to Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — After Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett were asked how they kept their bodies going during another long and intense matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. 'I think (Marchand) grabbed a Blizzard … I think it was Oreo today,' Bennett quipped, referring to a viral moment during the Eastern Conference finals when Marchand joked that he enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie dough treat from Dairy Queen between periods — which was later revealed as a spoonful of honey. 'Nice plug," Marchand responded with a chuckle. 'I like that.' They were joking, of course, but there was a point in Friday night's double-overtime game that Marchand spent time between periods pedaling on an exercise bike to stay loose — as players from both teams shuffled their tired bodies on and off the ice for hours. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final have gone to overtime, only the sixth time in NHL history that's happened and first since 2014. Game 1 went on until Leon Draisaitl's power-play goal 19:29 into the extra period. Marchand put Game 2 to an end with a breakaway goal 8:07 into the second overtime. With the series tied 1-1, both teams will embark on a cross-continent trip from Canada to Florida, enjoying an extra day's rest between games to recover after an intense start to their championship series. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. "Obviously a long game, a lot of back and forth," said Florida defenseman Seth Jones, who led the Panthers in ice time at 34 minutes, 35 seconds on Friday. Jones, who is averaging a team-high 25:45 on the ice in the postseason, played more than 30 minutes in both of the first two games of the series. He scored in the first period on Friday — his fourth goal of the postseason — and assisted on Dmitry Kulikov's goal in the second. 'We came here for a split and got it," Jones added, "and just going to recover now.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said heading back to Florida with the series tied — instead of being down 0-2 — does make a minor mental difference, but one of his team's strengths is its tunnel vision approach. 'It's mathematically significant," Maurice said. "I'd like to think that we'd be dragging here today, this morning, if we had lost that game having had the lead for so long. But I think we're really good at cutting it off. "It's the same morning this morning at the meal room as it was two days ago (after the Game 1 loss). It's just on to the next day. We understand how to leave our days — the good ones and the bad ones — in the past and handle the day we have right now.' The Oilers are moving forward in the series with an equally short memory after missed chances in Game 2. Corey Perry, whose goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime, said the back-and-forth nature of the series was to be expected from the two teams, but there's no use in getting hung up on 'what-ifs.' 'What's it going to do?' Perry said. "It's not going to do anything for you now. Get on the plane tomorrow and get some rest and be ready for Game 3.' Few players have spent more time on the ice in the series than Connor McDavid. The Edmonton star played 31:12 in Game 1, and just over 35 minutes in Game 2 — more than anyone else in the game. That's nearly 10 minutes more than his postseason average of 24:22. McDavid's impact was certainly felt on Friday. He had three assists, including one in which he zipped through Florida's penalty kill to set up Draisaitl's power play goal in the first. Draisaitl noted after the game there's only one player in the world that can make such a highlight-reel play, but stressed the importance of using the two days off to recalibrate. ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After 2 overtime games, Panthers and Oilers relish days off as Stanley Cup Final shifts to Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — After Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett were asked how they kept their bodies going during another long and intense matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. 'I think (Marchand) grabbed a Blizzard … I think it was Oreo today,' Bennett quipped, referring to a viral moment during the Eastern Conference finals when Marchand joked that he enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie dough treat from Dairy Queen between periods — which was later revealed as a spoonful of honey. 'Nice plug," Marchand responded with a chuckle. 'I like that.' They were joking, of course, but there was a point in Friday night's double-overtime game that Marchand spent time between periods pedaling on an exercise bike to stay loose — as players from both teams shuffled their tired bodies on and off the ice for hours. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final have gone to overtime, only the sixth time in NHL history that's happened and first since 2014. Game 1 went on until Leon Draisaitl's power-play goal 19:29 into the extra period. Marchand put Game 2 to an end with a breakaway goal 8:07 into the second overtime. With the series tied 1-1, both teams will embark on a cross-continent trip from Canada to Florida, enjoying an extra day's rest between games to recover after an intense start to their championship series. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. "Obviously a long game, a lot of back and forth," said Florida defenseman Seth Jones, who led the Panthers in ice time at 34 minutes, 35 seconds on Friday. Jones, who is averaging a team-high 25:45 on the ice in the postseason, played more than 30 minutes in both of the first two games of the series. He scored in the first period on Friday — his fourth goal of the postseason — and assisted on Dmitry Kulikov's goal in the second. 'We came here for a split and got it," Jones added, "and just going to recover now.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said heading back to Florida with the series tied — instead of being down 0-2 — does make a minor mental difference, but one of his team's strengths is its tunnel vision approach. 'It's mathematically significant," Maurice said. "I'd like to think that we'd be dragging here today, this morning, if we had lost that game having had the lead for so long. But I think we're really good at cutting it off. "It's the same morning this morning at the meal room as it was two days ago (after the Game 1 loss). It's just on to the next day. We understand how to leave our days — the good ones and the bad ones — in the past and handle the day we have right now.' The Oilers are moving forward in the series with an equally short memory after missed chances in Game 2. Corey Perry, whose goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime, said the back-and-forth nature of the series was to be expected from the two teams, but there's no use in getting hung up on 'what-ifs.' 'What's it going to do?' Perry said. "It's not going to do anything for you now. Get on the plane tomorrow and get some rest and be ready for Game 3.' Few players have spent more time on the ice in the series than Connor McDavid. The Edmonton star played 31:12 in Game 1, and just over 35 minutes in Game 2 — more than anyone else in the game. That's nearly 10 minutes more than his postseason average of 24:22. McDavid's impact was certainly felt on Friday. He had three assists, including one in which he zipped through Florida's penalty kill to set up Draisaitl's power play goal in the first. Draisaitl noted after the game there's only one player in the world that can make such a highlight-reel play, but stressed the importance of using the two days off to recalibrate. 'At this time of year, you've got to move on,' he said, 'There's not time thinking about it too long. Obviously it stings right now, but we have to move on.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
