Sergei Bobrovsky recorded a 32-save shutout as the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“They are a great offensive team,” Bobrovsky said after the game. “They bring the good challenge.”
“We generated chances, we had looks,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “Not a ton of puck luck around their net.”
The Panthers scored on their first shot of the game, with Carter Verhaeghe finishing off a three-on-two 3:59 into the game. The Oilers had several good scoring chances and outshot Florida 12-4 in the first.
Adam Henrique went to the backhand on a breakaway, but Bobrovsky made a left pad save. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went in alone on a power play less than two minutes later. Again, Bobrovsky made a big stop.
Early in the second, Sam Bennett won a race and swept the puck in front to Evan Rodrigues, who popped a shot over Stuart Skinner’s left shoulder to make it 2-0 Panthers. The Oilers again tested Bobrovsky several times, but were unable to break through.
Mattias Janmark had a breakaway, but couldn’t force the puck under Bobrovsky.
“We really pushed,” Skinner said. “Bob was absolutely massive.”
Eetu Luostarinen scored an empty netter in the dying seconds of the third.
The Oilers were 2/2 on the penalty kill, extending their streak to 30 in a row. They were 0/3 on the power play.
“I thought, overall, we played a pretty good game,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We had some chances to score goals and they didn’t go in.
“We know that Florida — probably — that wasn’t their best game. (We) anticipate them to (be) much better (in) the next one. I think they probably got caught off-guard. Just you guys (media) talking about how good they were and we didn’t have a chance in this series.”
Skinner finished with 15 saves.
“Maybe it was the hockey gods getting us back for that Game 6 (against Dallas) where we probably didn’t deserve to win,” McDavid said. “We’ll gear up for a big one on Monday.”
The Panthers will host Game 2 on Monday. You can listen to the game live on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 4 p.m. The actual game starts at 6 p.m.