The Florida Panthers One step closer to their first Stanley Cup championship, and they have goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to thank for Saturday night’s Game 1 victory.
Bobrowski made 32 saves, including Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in a 3-0 win. Edmonton Oils 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers got goals from Carter Verhehe, Ivan Rodriguez and Etu Lustarinen to earn their second win in three trips to the championship round.
The Oilers found a way to get around the Panthers’ fourcheck, which frustrated other Florida playoff opponents, but they couldn’t capitalize.
Game 2 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.
A closer look at Game 1:
Panthers 3, Oilers 0
Eeto Luostarinen scored into an empty net. He missed last year’s final due to injury.
Oilers pull goalie Stuart Skinner
Skinner left for an extra skater. Edmonton calls timeout with 1:21 left.
In the third period, the Panthers tighten up
Edmonton brings out its big guns as much as it can, but the Oilers have just six shots with four minutes left in the third period.
Panthers go on the power play
Edmonton’s Corey Perry is called for interference. But the Oilers are killing it in the last 30 short-term situations to make them perfect.
The third period is underway
The Oilers use a lineup of Connor McDavid, Leon Trisaitl and Zach Hyman.
Panthers 2, Oilers 0: End of second period
Scoring aside, the Oilers have to love what they do. They have seven shots on the power play and are outshooting Florida 26-12. Sergei Bobrovsky makes three saves in the Panthers’ shutout. He’s misplayed a few times, but the Oilers haven’t taken advantage.
The Panthers came out strong in the third period, outscoring the opposition 24-11.
The Panthers killed Babrowski with an acrobatic look on the penalty kill. But the Panthers should take fewer penalties.
Referees wander away from the goal; Cheetahs go short-handed
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Mattias Janmark and had the puck under his pad. Connor Brown knocked the puck into the net and the goalie was immediately ruled a no-goal. A scrum breaks out and two players from each team go into the penalty box. Sam Bennett was called for an interception early on the Oilers’ third power play of the game.
The Panthers broke the penalty and Rodriguez scored at 2:16 after a nice centering feed from Sam Bennett. Bennett hits Cody Ceci. Oilers defensemen Ceci and Darnell Nurse were both on the ice for Florida goals.
Panthers 1, Oilers 0: End of first period
The Oilers controlled most of the period and outshot the Panthers 13-4. The reason they’re behind: Sergei Bobrovsky, at the top of his game. Florida goalie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins makes a breakaway during an Edmonton power play. He earlier stopped Adam Henrique on a breakaway.
The Panthers would have to kill another penalty early in the second period after Carter Verhehe high-sticked Evan Bouchard with nine seconds left in the first.
Oilers go on the power play
Gustav Forsling, one of Florida’s best penalty killers, travels to Connor McDavid. The Oilers’ power play was 37.3% in the game. Penalty kill strong Panthers survive.
The Panthers get their first power play of the game
Oilers defenseman Matthias Ekholm is called for tripping Florida’s Kyle Okboso at 7:33. Edmonton’s penalty kill, perfect over the last 10 games, killed it.
Aleksandar Barkov makes a good run down the ice and passes Verhaeghe who is alone in front. He scored on Florida’s first shot of the game at 3:59 of the first period. It was his 10th goal in the playoffs.
Starting lineups show Panthers coach Paul Morris will try to connect Selke Trophy winner Alexander Barkov against Oilers star Connor McDavid.
The Florida Panthers start the lineup
Center: Alexander Barkov
Wings: Sam Reinhardt, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensive players: Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling
Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky
Center: Connor McDavid
Wings: Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Defensive players: Ivan Bouchard, Matthias Ekholm
Goalie: Stuart Skinner
When is Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final?
Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
How to watch Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
Game 1 will be shown nationally in the US on ABC. A pregame will be on ESPN2 at 7 pm ET.
How to live stream Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
Game 1 can be streamed on ESPN+ and services that carry ABC Fubo. NHL and PXP produce alternative broadcasts dedicated to the deaf community using American Sign Language. You can stream it on ESPN+.
Connor McDavid was cautious in his pregame interview response
“I’m not going there,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said when ABC asked him to finish the sentence: “If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup …”
But McDavid had more praise for the Panthers: “They skate well, they’re aggressive, they’re good on the forecheck, they defend well, they do a lot of good things. Two teams obviously play well in the finals. It’s going to be a good test.”
How many Stanley Cup titles have the Oilers won?
Five. They won in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 and reached the final in 1983 and 2006.
How many Stanley Cup titles have the Panthers won?
No. They previously reached the final in 1996 and 2023.
Who is on the edge of crime?
Oils: Their top five scorers combined for 124 points, led by Connor McDavid’s 31 points. The Panthers’ top five teams combined for 77, led by Matthew Tkachuk’s 19. Four Oilers have scored more points than Tkachuk. Zach Hyman has five more goals than Florida leader Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers have more scoring depth (they trail the Oilers by a quarter of a goal a game), but Edmonton’s high-end talent makes the difference.
Who is on the defensive end?
Cheetahs: Evan Bouchard’s 27 points bested the combined points of the top three Panthers defensemen. But Florida’s Gustav Forsling has developed into a better all-around defender. The Panthers are deep with Brandon Montorre and Aaron Ekplat facing surgery and both of them are back.
The Panthers’ defense, led by Selke Trophy winner Aleksandar Barkov, is also impressive. Their forecasting program minimizes enemy attacks. In the first three rounds, they held NHL leading scorer Nikita Kucherov scoreless and limited David Pastrnak to one goal. New York RangersArtemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Micah Zibanejad joined the duo.
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The top four 2014 draft picks play in the 2024 Finals
Defensive tackle Aaron Ekplat was taken No. 1 overall by the Panthers. Forward Sam Reinhardt was taken No. 2 overall Buffalo Sabers and traded to Florida in 2021. Forward Leon took the No. 3 spot in Tricity. Forward Sam Bennett moved to fourth Calgary Flames and was traded to the Panthers in 2021.
The details of the 4-nation face-off have been announced
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced the details of next season’s 4-nation face-off with USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland. It will be held February 12-20 at Montreal’s Bell Center and Boston’s TD Garden. The championship will be held in Boston. The four nations will announce their first six players on June 28.
The tournament will replace the 2025 All-Star Game. NHL players return to Olympics in 2026
Warren Fogele returns to the Oilers lineup
Oil Coach Kris Knoblauch said Forward Warren Fogele will return for Game 1 on Saturday. He missed the final three games of the Western Conference finals. Dallas Stars. Has 20 goals and 21 assists in the regular season and three points in 15 playoff games.
NHL salary cap numbers for the 2024-25 season
The NHL and the NHL Players Association announced Saturday that the salary cap will rise from $83.5 million to $88 million next season. It has been relatively flat recently due to the pandemic. The lower limit is $65 million next season.
Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet X says its account has been compromised
Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet said four hours before Game 1 that its MainX (formerly Twitter) account “has been compromised and we are currently working to restore it. It is unsafe to click on any links or engage with any posts in the meantime. From the account.”
Panthers’ Sergey Bobrovsky (12-5, 2.20, .908) vs. Oilers’ Stuart Skinner (11-5, 2.50, .897). Bobrovsky won both in the regular season meetings. Skinner has not faced the Panthers this season.
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