"Spectacular" Stanley Cup Final Game 1 shows Florida Panthers-Edmonton Oilers rematch could be classic series
If the series opener of the Stanley Cup Final is a hint of things to come, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are about to give everyone a memorable show.
The two best teams in the NHL over the past couple of years traded hits, goals and saves through an instant-classic Game 1 that ended with Leon Draisaitl scoring 19-plus minutes into overtime.
It was at the same time tight-checking and also wildly entertaining. Even Panthers coach Paul Maurice on the losing end could appreciate the value of must-see hockey.
"Its potential [is] just a spectacular seven-gamer," Maurice said. "Up and down the ice, it's still fast. There isn't any casualness. ... It was honest, it was hard, it was fast, and it was tight. It was an overtime game."
A Game 1 with a little bit of everything
It had a little bit of everything, from Draisaitl scoring 66 seconds in to Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch unsuccessfully challenging Florida's tying goal by Sam Bennett, only to watch Brad Marchand get a power-play goal less than two minutes later.
Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl (29) scores against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) as Aaron Ekblad (5) and Gustav Forsling (42) defend while Edmonton's Kasperi Kapanen (42) and Evander Kane (91) watch during the first overtime period in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final, in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Darryl Dyck//The Canadian Press via AP)
DARRYL DYCK / AP
Edmonton rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie it. And Sergei Bobrovsky and Stuart Skinner each made some stops on high-danger scoring chances along the way.
"It's my job to give us a chance to win," Skinner said. "I think you've got to give a lot of props to Bob over there, too. He made some fantastic saves, especially in overtime."
There were times the play bogged down, particularly late in regulation and in sudden-death OT when two powerhouse teams minimized the risks they were taking. Even for long stretches when the Panthers had the lead, there was not much ice for the Oilers to get through — and they expect more of that moving forward.
"Tight checking," said Mattias Ekholm, who scored Edmonton's tying goal in the third period. "I think that there's two very experienced lineups with a lot of playoff experience and have been in these situations. Everybody's pretty confident and comfortable in these. I think it's going to be a lot of the same."
Hockey at its finest
Part of what made it masterpiece hockey was how good the Panthers and Oilers are when the pressure is on. Sure, mistakes were made that led to goals, including the puck over the glass penalty in OT, but much of the game was textbook fundamentals.
"The pucks go deep that are supposed to go deep," Maurice said. "I think we had one all night we didn't like, maybe two all night that we didn't like our decision of the line. They didn't fool around with it, either."
A year after the Panthers went up 3-0 in the series only to lose three in a row and then defeat the Oilers in a tight Game 7, it's clear these opponents are again evenly matched. That is a recipe for some fun times ahead, with Game 2 Friday night in Edmonton the next chapter of a growing rivalry.
"It's two great teams," Ekholm said. "The thing now, too, is we know exactly how they play, they know exactly how we play. It's those little, little details that are going to matter so much in the end. It's one lost coverage for a second here or there, or a penalty like you saw tonight, or whatever it is. It's teams that are also very comfortable in these moments and in these high-stakes games."
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Stanley Cup Final for old men: Brad Marchand and Corey Perry shine on hockey's biggest stage
EDMONTON, Alberta — Brad Marchand and Corey Perry are by far the oldest players in the Stanley Cup Final . Marchand just turned 37 last month, and Perry is 40. Naturally, they combined for a third of the goals in Game 2 on Friday night, showing this is indeed a Cup final for old men, not for the earth but certainly in hockey. Marchand scored his second of the game to win it in double overtime for the Florida Panthers after Perry got the latest tying goal in the history of the final in the waning moments of regulation to give the Edmonton Oilers hope.
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Marchand leapt in the air before being mobbed by his teammates as the euphoria of the win took over. 'Pure excitement and adrenaline for the whole group,' Marchand said. 'It's obviously a very important game for our team. We all knew we were one shot away, and luckily it went our way. You can tell the excitement that we had in that moment for sure.' Marchand has had his share of big moments in the playoffs throughout his career. He had 13 postseason game-winners, including three in overtime, during his first 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Panthers in March. On this run into the Stanley Cup Final, on this chance for Marchand to win the Cup for the second time in his career, he has seven goals, 17 points and a pair of overtime winners. Three of his seven goals have come in the first two games of this Stanley Cup Final series, giving him 10 in his career — the most among active players and making him one of just 37 players in NHL history with double-digit goals in the Stanley Cup Final in his career. 'He enjoys the moment,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. 'He doesn't shy away from it. He's not worried about making a mistake, per se. He goes out there, he competes and he lives and dies by his game. He's done a great job for us, and we'll need him to continue to do that.' Added defenseman Nate Schmidt: 'He just finds a way. He did a great job throughout the game, finding open ice around their net, and I think he just, I dunno, just shoved a pitchfork or however he gets it in there. We'll take it.' They'll take everything Marchand has to offer. Obviously his production on the ice has been critical as Florida attempts to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. But what he provides off the ice is just as critical. He's vocal. He's brash. He's authentic. 'Brad's an honest man, and that's why he fits in our room,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious, so he just fits right in. He's completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stay in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast tomorrow morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' And he's defying the clock while he does it. At the ripe age of 37 years and 26 days old, Marchand became the fourth-oldest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final, behind Igor Larionov (41 years, 187 days; Game 3 in 2002), Steve Thomas (39 years, 322 days; Game 4 in 2003) and Ron Francis (39 years, 95 days; Game 1 in 2002). He plays with the joy and youthful exuberance of the rookie who has the experience of a veteran who has seen 1,276 NHL games between the regular season and the playoffs. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor. He's scored, when you think about it, two of our biggest goals than playoffs so far. Hopefully he can keep it going.' Marchand's goals — he also scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period — helped give the Panthers life in this series after it almost slipped away from them again. Florida saw a two-goal lead in Game 1 slip away when it gave up a goal in the second, another in the third and lost with 31 seconds left in the first overtime. 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It weathered through the first overtime, one in which Edmonton had a 13-8 edge in shots on goal and waited for its opportunity to strike. It came 8:55 into the second overtime, with Marchand's breakaway ending the game and tying the series. 'It's just a huge play at a huge time and he's been incredible for us this whole playoffs,' center Sam Bennett said. 'He's scoring massive goals at massive times. That one was definitely the biggest.'
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an hour ago
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Stanley Cup Final for old men: Brad Marchand and Corey Perry shine on hockey's biggest stage
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Brad Marchand and Corey Perry are by far the oldest players in the Stanley Cup Final. Marchand just turned 37 last month, and Perry is 40. Naturally, they combined for a third of the goals in Game 2 on Friday night, showing this is indeed a Cup final for old men, not for the earth but certainly in hockey. Marchand scored his second of the game to win it in double overtime for the Florida Panthers after Perry got the latest tying goal in the history of the final in the waning moments of regulation to give the Edmonton Oilers hope. "You saying he's old, or what?" teammate Seth Jones said of Marchand. 'I'm going to tell him you said that. He's a dog. He's a gamer. He's a competitor. He brings so much energy to our team on and off the ice.' Where does that energy come from to play 22 important minutes? Anton Lundell hopes it comes from him and fellow linemate Eetu Luostarinen, the pups keeping an older dog like Marchand feeling young. 'He likes to spend time and be around us,' said Lundell, who set up each of Marchand's breakaway goals. "He's in great shape, and it seems like nothing is stopping him.' Marchand is not slowing down in his 16th NHL season and 13th playoff run, the first away from the Boston Bruins. He is in the final for a fourth time, this one 14 years removed from his first when he and Boston also faced a Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks, and won the Cup to keep the country's title drought going. His two-goal game came on the anniversary of scoring short-handed on Roberto Luongo in the 2011 final. Luongo now works for the Panthers in their front office and posted on social media after the game, 'Favorite player of all time.' "Lu is awesome," said Marchand, whose 10 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than Perry. "Happy to be on his team.' Perry even longer ago helped beat a Canadian team in the final when he and Anaheim defeated Ottawa in 2007. He's playing for the Cup for a sixth time in his career and for the fourth time over the past five years and is still producing at important moments. His tying goal with 17.8 seconds on the clock in the third period was just the latest example. 'Determination, finding a way to find the puck and then obviously putting it in the net. He's got a skill for that,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'Knowing in the playoffs it's hard to score and you need guys around the net and finding ways, he's as good as anybody finding ways to score.' Plenty of folks might be surprised to see Marchand and Perry doing this at their advanced ages. Paul Maurice, who has coached more games than anyone in NHL history except for Scotty Bowman, is not one of them. Maurice credits rule changes coming out of the 2004-05 lockout and sports science around the league for paving the way for players to contributed later into their 30s and even 40s. 'I think we're coming into an age of that,' Maurice said. "A tremendous amount of care for the players, whether that's the meals that they eat, how we travel — there's a lot of money that goes into allowing these players to play. The old guys and the young guys benefit from the rule change, and they're better fit, conditioned athletes over their entire lives.' Marchand has his own routine, one that goes beyond the Dairy Queen Blizzard jokes that keep swirling around him this playoffs. He rode a stationary bike before overtime, something he likes to do after most periods. 'You're trying to keep your legs going in overtime," Marchand said. 'Keep them feeling good.' The Panthers are feeling good after acquiring Marchand at the deadline from Boston and unleashing him for goals in Game 2 that tied the series. Winger Matthew Tkachuk thinks Marchand scored two of their biggest goals during this run, aging like a fine wine. 'Hopefully he can keep it going,' Tkachuk said. Unreal player, unreal competitor. ... 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going.' ___
