The stage is set for an exciting game 2 as the Edmonton Oilers get ready to face the Florida Panthers again Monday night. In Saturday’s game, the Panthers secured a 3-0 victory over the Oilers. Edmonton are eager to bounce back and even the score, and are ready for a high speed, high stakes rematch. Meanwhile, the Panthers look to maintain their 4-game win streak.
Sergei Bobrovsky Dominates
The Edmonton Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday, June 8, losing 0-3. Despite outshooting Florida 32-18, the Oilers were unable to break through goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky became the first goalie in 13 years to record a shutout in game 1 of the finals, in addition to recording his second shutout of the 2024 playoffs. Bobrovsky has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his last 12 games, proving him to be a key player in the Panthers cup run.
This angle of Sergei Bobrovsky's ridiculous save 😳
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2024
📺: ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/PniJktQsRz
Key Players
Forward Connor McDavid leads the postseason with 31 points however was denied any points on Saturday for the first time in five games. Notably, four of the top five point leaders in the playoffs are Oilers: McDavid (31), Draisaitl (28), Bouchard (27), and Nugent-Hopkins (20). Zach Hyman also leads the league with 14 playoff goals, with Draisaitl and Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe both with 10 goals.
Road to the Cup
This marks the Florida Panthers second consecutive final appearance, after last year’s 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. It is also the third time Florida has reached the finals, but the first time they have held a lead in the series. In the history of the NHL, 76% of teams that win in Game 1 of a best-of-seven final have gone on to win the cup. The last three cup champions including Vegas, who defeated the Panthers 4-1 last season, have won game 1 of the final.
Despite having won the Stanley Cup 5 times, Edmonton is making its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. A win for Edmonton would mark the end of a three decade drought of Canadian Teams winning the Stanley cup, with the last Canadian win achieved by the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
With game 2 tonight, the Panthers have the opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0, while the Oilers look to get a win before heading back to Edmonton for game 3 and 4.
