Montreal (AFP) – Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal with 31 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Oilers over Florida 4-3 in Wednesday’s opening game of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. The 29-year-old German center scored his second goal of the game on a power play from in front of the net, Oilers captain Connor McDavid taking a pass from Corey Perry and firing the puck to Draisaitl, who beat Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“It was just a number of really good plays — great pass by Corey down low to get it to Davo (McDavid) and then obviously a great pass by Davo,” Draisaitl told Canada’s Sportsnet. Draisaitl’s NHL record-tying third overtime goal of the playoffs gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, which continues Friday in Edmonton.
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“It’s a great start for us, but, yeah, we’ve got to regroup and get ready for game two,” Draisaitl said. Czech winger Tomas Nosek of defending champion Florida received a delay of game penalty for knocking the puck over the glass from his defensive zone with 1:43 remaining in the overtime, setting the stage for the decider as the Oilers battled back from a two-goal deficit.
“We’ve done it all year, especially in the post-season,” Draisaitl said. “We stick with it and we’re never going to quit.” No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993, but the Oilers hope to end the 32-year drought and win their first Cup since 1990. It’s a rematch of last year’s final, when Florida beat Edmonton in seven games, the Oilers pushing that series to the limit after losing the first three games.
“I think we’re just a little bit more mature (than last year),” Draisaitl told US broadcaster TNT. “Obviously every other game writes its own story, but I thought we hung in there. We were mature and obviously we just needed one look and capitalized on that.” No NHL team has defeated the same rival in back-to-back finals since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978.
The Panthers, who lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, fell to 8-3 on the road in this year’s playoffs while the Oilers improved to 7-1 on home ice in the post-season. Draisaitl opened the scoring after only 66 seconds, blasting a rebound into an open net after Bobrovsky made two of his 42 saves. Florida’s Sam Bennett knocked in an equalizer 10:49 into the first period after being tripped into Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
Brad Marchand, traded from Boston to Florida in March, put the Panthers ahead 2-1 only 1:41 later on a power play goal. Bennett delivered his second goal of the night and team-record 12th of the playoffs 2:00 into the second period, but the Oilers answered 77 seconds later, Swedish left wing Viktor Arvidsson lifting Edmonton within 3-2.
Skinner, a 26-year-old Canadian, made 16 of his 29 saves in the second period to keep the Oilers close. Edmonton found the equalizer with 13:27 remaining in regulation as McDavid’s shot was knocked in by Swedish defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
© 2024 AFP
