In an exciting NHL encounter, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the current champions, the Florida Panthers, with a score of 4-3 in the first game of the Stanley Cup final. Leon Draisaitl was the key figure in scoring the decisive goal in overtime, thanks to a power play. Goalie Stuart Skinner shone with 29 saves, contributing significantly to the Oilers’ comeback, who managed to reverse a multi-goal deficit.
Draisaitl’s goal came at 19:29 of overtime, unleashing euphoria among the home fans. This result is a clear sign that the Oilers will not repeat the start of last year’s series, where they lost the first three games.
The game began with a goal by Draisaitl at 66 seconds, followed by a goal by Sam Bennett, who deflected a shot, putting the Panthers in the lead.
A penalty on Tomas Nosek for shooting the puck out of the rink paved the way for Draisaitl’s overtime goal.Bennett’s second goal, early in the second period, extended the Panthers’ lead to 3-1. The Panthers maintained an undefeated record of 31-0 in previous playoffs under their coach, Paul Maurice, when leading at the end of the first or second period.
However, the Oilers, led by Connor McDavid, reacted. Viktor Arvidsson brought his team closer on the scoreboard and Mattias Ekholm tied the game thanks to a precise pass from McDavid.
Skinner made several crucial saves to prevent the Panthers from increasing their lead. On the other hand, Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers’ goalie, also had good interventions.The second game will be played on Friday night in Edmonton, before the series moves to Sunrise, Florida, for games 3 and 4.
