Oilers vs. Panthers: Leon Draisaitl scores overtime winner for Edmonton in roller coaster Stanley Cup opener
Perhaps it should be no surprise that a Connor McDavid pass to Leon Draisaitl in overtime — on the power play, no less — won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final for the Edmonton Oilers.
The all-world stars do it all the time in the regular season.
But it's just one of a number of ways in which the Oilers are different in this rematch against the Florida Panthers.
Draisaitl didn't score in the final last year. He has two already this time, also opening the scoring in Wednesday night's 4-3 decision at Rogers Place.
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GAME 1 BELONGS TO THE OILERS 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Leon Draisaitl scores the Subway Canada OT winner to give the Oilers the 1-0 series lead in the #StanleyCup Final 👏 pic.twitter.com/iiXLfqxsnD
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 5, 2025
'It's a good start for us,' Draisaitl told Sportsnet after the game. 'It's a special feeling. It's great for right now, but we've got to look ahead and get ready for Game 2.'
That's Friday, and must-see viewing if it repeats the roller-coaster action of Game 1 in which the Oilers rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Draisaitl scored in the last minute of the first overtime.
Draisaitl played injured in the final last year, contributing to his offensive drought. But he's healthy now.
'We got pretty banged up early last year in the playoffs,' he said. 'it's nice to feel good and healthy, and hopefully it stays that way.'
'He's invaluable,' McDavid said of Draisaitl. 'Does so many good things, clutch, faceoffs. Doesn't get enough credit for his defence. When he's dug in, there may be nobody better.'
Sam Bennett scored twice and Brad Marchand had one for the defending champion Panthers in what is just the second Cup final rematch in the past 40 years, and 11th in NHL history.
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'It's going to be a long series,' said Bennett. 'I don't think we expected this to be easy. We learned some things from tonight and we're just going to move on.'
Different Oilers
Viktor Arvidsson started the Edmonton comeback and Mattias Ekholm, with the only goal of the third period, forced overtime off a set-up from McDavid.
'You get those passes from world-class players, you kind of have to score,' said Ekholm.
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The Oilers have won 13 of their past 15 playoff games. Perhaps more important, Wednesday's rally showed a maturity that might be another key difference from last spring.
'Florida has closed out games extremely well,' said McDavid. 'Obviously we put ourselves in a tough spot. We just hung in there, and I think that is experience. We had to hold them at three and find a way to get one, and fortunately we did.'
Stanley in the house
The NHL started a new tradition last year: putting the Stanley Cup on the ice before Game 1 during player introductions. Before that, it was typically not even in the building until it could be won. They brought the Cup out again this time.
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'I felt completely different,' said Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. 'When I saw the Cup on the ice last year, I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes. And this year seeing it, I'm like: I was here last year, I saw it already, so now it's time to get back to work and do my thing. So definitely felt completely different.'
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Panthers hunt
Another big difference this year is that the Oilers have home-ice advantage, with one of the best crowds in sports behind them. They were loud and proud, chanting 'Let's go Oilers!' and 'We want the Cup!' The decibel level hit 113.6, the league said, akin to sitting beside a chainsaw.
The Oilers rode that emotion into the first few minutes, with Draisaitl jumping on a loose puck just 66 seconds in for a 1-0 Edmonton lead.
But despite Edmonton's domination — they would outshoot the Panthers 15-7 — the first period changed on a single play. Carter Verhaeghe's shot from about 30 feet deflected off Bennett as he fell (or was he tripped?) into Skinner. The call on the ice was a goal, but the Oilers challenged for goaltender interference. The review favoured the Panthers, the officials deciding that contact between the skates of Bennett and Oilers defenceman Brett Kulak contributed to Bennett falling into Skinner.
The Panthers got a power play and Marchand gave Florida a 2-1 lead. The crowd, outside of chanting displeasure with the officiating, had been taken out of the game.
So imagine the silence after Bennett scored his second of the game and 12th of the post-season early in the second period. Bennett finished off a two-on-one with Nate Schmidt just two minutes into the middle frame, picking the corner on a beleaguered Skinner.
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Leafs
Opinion
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'We were in pretty good shape at 3-1,' said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. 'They get it back. There were plays we didn't complete. Not worried about them. Just the ebbs and flows of the game.'
It didn't take long for the Oilers' fourth line to get the fans back in it, when Arvidsson's slapshot surprised Sergei Bobrovsky just one minute and 17 seconds after Bennett scored. Ekholm tied it in the third. And the Oilers, who had failed to score on their first three power plays, got the winner after Stefan Nosek was called for delay of game.
'We had a couple of power plays early in the game and usually when we don't come through, it's just a matter of time,' said Ekholm.
Hyman's pain
Before the game, ex-Leaf Zach Hyman of the Oilers revealed he dislocated his right wrist in the third-round series against Dallas, confirming he will not play in the Cup final.
'I was still a little delusional that I could play through until after the surgery, obviously,' said Hyman. 'An emotional moment. I don't think you fully grasp it until a little later, when you can get your head around it. Some things in life you can't control, and then this is one of them.'
Missing the speedy, physical Hyman leaves a gaping hole for the Oilers.
'He's a huge piece of this team: his physicality, his net-front presence, in the locker room, all those sorts of things. Just a great person,' said teammate Adam Henrique. 'So we're certainly going to miss him on the ice, but he's a guy that we're certainly fighting for out there.'
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