The Florida Panthers turned an early deficit into a lead after scoring two first-period goals in quick succession in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday.
The Edmonton Oilers opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, with Leon Draisatl finding the back of the net early at a raucous Rogers Place.
Sam Bennett evened the score for Florida midway through the first period, tipping a Carter Verhaeghe shot on a play that Oilers coach Chris Knoblauch challenged for goaltender interference and lost, leading to a delay of game penalty.
Brad Marchand scored on the ensuing power play to give the visitors a lead at the 12:30 mark.
That sent the Oilers to the dressing room down a goal after 20 minutes, despite outshooting the Panthers 15-6.
Last season ended in heartbreak for the Oilers after they clawed their way back from a seemingly insurmountable three-game deficit against the Florida Panthers, only to drop the final in Miami.
But the Oilers are getting a second kick at the Stanley Cup final this year as they once again face off against the Panthers in a hotly-anticipated rematch.
And unlike last year, Edmonton has home-ice advantage, with the puck drop at Rogers Place for the first two games, before the series shifts to Florida.
The Panthers are in the final for a third consecutive year, having lost to Las Vegas in 2023 before their franchise-first win in 2024.
The speedy team has dominated in the post-season since head coach Paul Maurice took over and winger Matthew Tkachuk arrived in a trade from Calgary. They’ve also now added the firepower of Seth Jones and Brad Marchand to the core led by Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov.
Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Draisaitl are still at the top of their games, and now bring the experience of having played for the Cup. With Trent Frederic, John Klingberg and Jake Walman, this year’s team is bigger and more seasoned.
The fact that this year’s Stanley Cup final is a rematch — only the fifth since the league expanded in 1968 — will only add to the heated competition between the tightly matched clubs.
