Oilers Overcome Two-Goal Deficit, Triumph Over Panthers in Stanley Cup Final Opener

Leon Draisaitl clinched victory for the Edmonton Oilers with a power play goal in overtime, leading his team to a thrilling 4-3 comeback against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night. Stuart Skinner, the Oilers' goaltender, made 29 crucial saves throughout the match.

The decisive moment came after Tomas Nosek was penalized for putting the puck over the glass. Draisaitl's goal at 19:29 of overtime ignited a wave of excitement among the home crowd, ensuring that the Oilers would not repeat last year's slow start, where they fell behind three games to none.

Initially, it appeared the Oilers might struggle again. Draisaitl opened the scoring just 66 seconds into the game, but Sam Bennett quickly responded for Florida, deflecting a shot past Skinner after colliding with him.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch challenged for goaltender interference, but the NHL's situation room ruled that Jake Walman inadvertently tripped Bennett into Skinner. This led to a power play opportunity for Florida, which Brad Marchand capitalized on to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

Bennett struck again early in the second period, extending Florida's lead to 3-1. Historically, under coach Paul Maurice, the Panthers had been undefeated when leading at either intermission during their playoff run.

However, fueled by Connor McDavid's leadership, the Oilers mounted a comeback. Viktor Arvidsson energized the crowd early in the second period, and Mattias Ekholm, returning from injury, leveled the score with a goal off a perfect setup from McDavid with 13:27 left in regulation.

Skinner's performance was pivotal; he made several key saves that prevented Florida from regaining their lead late in the third period. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida's goaltender, faced his share of challenges as well, enduring chants of "Sergei! Sergei!" from fans after allowing goals.

In contrast, Skinner received cheers of "Stuuuu" following his impressive saves, including a critical stop just one minute into overtime. Bobrovsky managed to deny Trent Frederic with a remarkable save nine minutes into the extra period but ultimately succumbed to Draisaitl's decisive shot.

Game 2 is set for Friday night in Edmonton before the series transitions to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4.