In a heart-pounding overtime thriller, Leon Draisaitl played the hero as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the defending champion Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night.
Leon Draisaitl power-play goal with just 31 seconds left in overtime sent Rogers Place into total chaos and gave the Oilers a dream start to the rematch of last year’s Final. Unlike last year, where Edmonton fell behind 0-3 early in the series, this time they’re taking the fight right to the Panthers.
🔥 First Period Fireworks
The night started with a bang. Just 66 seconds into the game, Draisaitl found the back of the net to give the Oilers an early lead. But Florida didn’t take long to respond.
Sam Bennett scored the equalizer after a controversial play in front of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. Despite a coach’s challenge for goalie interference, the NHL ruled that it was Edmonton’s Jake Walman who tripped Bennett into Skinner. The Oilers got hit with a penalty, and the Panthers capitalized.
Brad Marchand scored on the power play, and soon after, Bennett notched his second of the night early in the second period, giving Florida a 3-1 lead. At that point, it looked like the Panthers might run away with it. After all, they were 31-0 in the past three playoff years under coach Paul Maurice when leading after one or two periods.
💪 Oilers Show True Grit
But this Oilers team? They didn’t back down.
It was fourth-liner Viktor Arvidsson who sparked the comeback with a key goal that reignited the Edmonton crowd. Then, in a clutch moment, Mattias Ekholm—only in his second game back from injury—tied the game at 3-3 off a beautiful feed from Connor McDavid.
McDavid, as always, was the engine behind everything good for the Oilers, showing why he’s one of the best in the game.
🧤 Goalies Put on a Show
Both goaltenders had their moments. Stuart Skinner stood tall for the Oilers with 29 saves, including a massive stop in the opening minute of overtime that kept his team alive. Chants of “Stuuuu!” echoed around the arena.
On the other end, Sergei Bobrovsky made several critical saves too—including a jaw-dropping glove save on Trent Frederic. But in the end, it was Bobrovsky who cracked under pressure when Draisaitl fired home the game-winner.
⏭️ What’s Next?
With the Oilers now leading the series 1-0, momentum is clearly on their side. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in Edmonton, before the series shifts to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4.
One thing’s for sure—this rematch series is already living up to the hype.
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