Draisaitl scores in OT, Oilers win Stanley Cup opener

When the Stanley Cup was dropped on the ice before Game 1, the Edmonton Oilers had a renewed sense of purpose, and it showed. "I felt like last year, I kind of looked at it with googly eyes… while this year, I saw it. I saw it this year." We’re ready to go back to work.” That singular mindset was rewarded to start the series as the Oilers took a thrilling 4-3 overtime match from reigning champion Florida Panthers.

Draisaitl's Overtime Magic
Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner on a power play when Tomas Nosek, playing the puck deep in front of the net, received a delay-of-game penalty with just 31 seconds left in overtime. It was Draisaitl’s third overtime goal of this year’s playoffs, tying the record for a single postseason. He also scored six overtime goals in the regular season. Captain Connor McDavid set up the tying goal and the winner, showing he can do it all.

“He’s everything to us,” McDavid said of Draisaitl. “Clutch, faceoffs — you name it, he does it.

A Back-and-Forth Battle
The Oilers fell behind 3-1 on goals from Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. Bennett opened the scoring when he redirected a shot through Skinner, prompting an unsuccessful challenge for goaltender interference from Edmonton’s bench. It was a ruling in Florida’s favor, stating that Jake Walman’s trip took place causing Bennett to crash into Skinner. Marchand then converted on the power play that followed, putting Florida in front.

Bennett notched his second goal early in the second period, doubling the Panthers’ advantage. Florida was unbeaten in its past 31 playoff games when leading after either the first or second period under Coach Paul Maurice.

But Edmonton responded. Viktor Arvidsson got the crowd back into it on a quick goal before Mattias Ekholm tied the game with just over 13 minutes to play in regulation off a grooved pass from McDavid. It was Ekholm’s second game back from a lengthy injury absence.

Goalies in the Spotlight
Skinner played a key role in the comeback, making 29 saves and receiving loud chants of “Stuuuu! Stuuuu!” from the home crowd. Sergei Bobrovsky also made a handful of big saves — including a huge stop on Trent Frederic — for Florida, which was unable to hold off the Oilers.

“He was great again,” McDavid said of Skinner. “He gave us a chance.”
The Oilers win a hard-fought battle and take an early lead in the Stanley Cup Final and have dreams of reversing its fortunes from last season.