The Edmonton Oilers are off and running in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, grabbing a 1-0 series advantage over the Florida Panthers in their highly anticipated rematch of last season’s championship series.
Sniper Leon Draisaitl remained clutch as ever, scoring the game’s first goal just seconds after the opening faceoff and following that up with the game-winning tally in overtime on the power-play after an ill-advised delay of game penalty from Florida’s Tomas Nosek.
The Oilers also got goals from Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm, while goaltender Stuart Skinner extended his personal winning streak to six games by making 29 saves on the 32 shots he faced.
Experienced Oilers Say They Ultimately Deserved To Come Away With the Game 1 Victory
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who tied the game at 3-3 in the third period after capitalizing on a slick pass from Connor McDavid, said that the group as a whole felt they got the result they ultimately deserved, but they also know the Panthers aren’t going to just roll over.
“I think we deserved to win tonight, but they’re going to flush it,” Ekholm said. “They’re going to come back better for Game 2, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s one game. We’ll just have to keep focusing on the task ahead. We know we’ve got three more wins to go, and it’s going to be a battle.”
“I think we’re more experienced,” Ekholm continued when talking about what’s different about the Oilers this season as opposed to last. “I think those are the little details that make you stay calm and not get too excited about something that you have a lot of work left to do, so I’m happy with the way we played tonight and happy with the focus. I thought we never deviated from the plan, and obviously got a big OT win, but it’s about flushing this tomorrow and getting back to work.”
Meanwhile, Skinner has now won his sixth consecutive game dating back to Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars in which he earned his third shutout in his previous four games at the time.
“The emotions are high,” Skinner said. “You’re feeling really good. You’re obviously ecstatic to get that win, especially in overtime with a minute left, because it’s going to get harder. So, the way we were able to finish in a timely manner was massive. You saw that in our faces when we celebrated.”
Game 2 between the Panthers and Oilers is scheduled for Friday evening starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.
