Ryan S. Clarkjun 5, 2025, 12:15 am at
Closeryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
Before we go any further, it may be fair to establish some basic rules regarding how to evaluate this Stanley Cup final.
Specifically, the outcome can be determined whenever a goal (or double) is scored in the last 10 minutes of regulation, or in an overtime game, unless the Edmonton Oilers or Florida Panthers get a lead big enough to keep the game out of reach.
got it. As we are on the same page, it means how the Oilers won Game 1 in a 4-3 overtime victory on Wednesday, and both teams enter Game 2 on Friday.
It was important to win the third term in the way the Oilers did. Not only did that lead to overtime, but it was definitely their most consistent frame in Game 1.
They had shots in their first period but were still catching up. They got second possessions and struggled to generate shots. Earlier in the third time, he gave the Oilers the 20th scorer this postseason. They also outperformed the Panthers 14-2, with a shot share of 58.3%, providing a sense of control they lacked to start.
They started overtime on defense, but their constant ability to put pressure on the final 15 minutes was rewarded with Leon Draysightle taking the game’s winner from power play with 1:06 left.
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They survived Kasperi Kapanen’s mini breakaway. They survived a point blank chance from Trent Frederic at Faceoff Circle. They survived when they had a 5-for-5 sequence that the Oilers treated like a power play. They survived the scoring chances of Evan Bouchard, who slid behind the defense for another point blank opportunity that Sergei Bobrovsky stopped.
Even Destiny’s kids thought to those familiar that the Panthers had a bit of survival.
In the end, they were unable to survive the slow power play of the Oilers overtime, during which Draysightle scored a goal to drive the Panthers away.
All games come with an inflection point, especially if the team loses. The Panthers had a few. It was the second period and seeing them have a shot share of 65.2%, they broke through to launch 17 shots in goal – only scoring one goal mainly for Stuart Skinner’s solid play in the net? Will that be the third season? Or was it the way they couldn’t make the most of their dominant start in overtime?
3 stars in Ardaöcal Game 1
Draisaitl did not have a single goal in the 2024 final. On Wednesday, he recorded 66 seconds in Game 1, then won the overtime game winner. A sublime start to this year’s Championship Series. Draisaitl has scored or supported five of the five Oilers’ six OT goals in the past two Posteasons.
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Leon Draisaitl records 66 seconds in Game 1 for the Oilers
Leon Draysitle will net his first goal for the Stanley Cup final.
The veteran defender scored his first goal of the postseason in his second match since his injury. He became the 20th Euler to score in these playoffs. This is second in one postseason in NHL history. (The 1987 Flyer and the 2019 Blues had 21 different goal scorers each.)
Bennett put in two goals for the loss. He has taken on 12 goals this postseason, the most in franchise history in one playoff. Eleven of these goals are on roads tied to Marc Siefele (2018) for most road targets in one postseason in NHL history.
Players in Game 2
Remember: This guy was exempted in November. When the Oilers insisted him, it was seen as an opportunity to add depth at a low price, but it turned into something bigger. His goal in the game in an overtime victory in the Western Conference Finals of Game 5, which won the series, opened the door for more play time. He also did it again in Game 1 with overtime, but he got an assist on the goal he won in the game.
He was part of the solution to how the Oilers build fares without Zach Hyman, who was injured in the Western Conference Finals, which eliminated the rest of the postseason. Kapanen played the role with three assists, and five hits allowed the Oilers to maintain the physical edge they used as part of their identity, reaching back-to-back Cup finals.
There are two ways to see what Bennett did in Game 1. First, his two-point effort bolstered what has become a serious contender for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as a playoff MVP. Bennett was a pre-game front runner and scored a postseason highest 10 goals. Collect two more to earn 18 points. This is tied to Ryanne Gent Hopkins of the Oilers Center in fourth place.
The second is that he will be paid this offseason. Earlier on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche re-signed Brock Nelson, signing a three-year contract worth $7.5 million a year, avoiding the possibility of losing him at a free agency. What Bennett did to help the Panthers reach three consecutive Stanley Cup finals, and being in a position to claim at least a second title, will only increase what he can command on July 1st.
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Sam Bennett’s second goal gives Florida a 3-1 lead
Sam Bennett tallies the game’s second goal, giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead over the Oilers.
Big Questions about Game 2
Did the third term and overtime give the Oilers a defensive roadmap against the Panthers?
Returning to the Stanley Cup final, the Oilers’ passes were based on the way their defensive structures made the lives of the Dallas Star and the Vegas Golden Knights hellish.
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The Oilers faced some challenges in the first period, with Skinner being partially protected by the first two goals before breaking down in the second term and leaving the goalkeeper on the island.
From there, the Oilers gave up by combining eight shots in the final frame, with the biggest concentration coming in the first five minutes of overtime.
Of course, the Panthers have discovered breakthroughs against teams that defensive structures, like the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Are the Panthers trying to find another one in Game 2? Or can the Oilers come to something that they can see more success within their defensive identity?
What are the key points for the future: their start or finish?
This is where it gets complicated – and then it goes back to an earlier statement about the teams that have inflection points. In the second season, the Panthers were offensive in a way that no one was against the Oilers. The result was a chance to score five Heidanger scoring, along with a sense of overall control.
That’s why you took one goal with just one goal, especially in one goal game. This can raise questions about how they can make the most of future opportunities.
But at the same time, the concept of being forced to survive in overtime, which saw them split the Oilers and the Shotshare, has more Danger’s chances of scoring, but can’t provide that consistent threat?
This will allow the Panthers to think more about it in the next few days…or perhaps you don’t question the process given that they won the final 31 playoff games that earned a second-term lead.
