EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — When the Stanley Cup was brought out onto the ice prior to Game 1 of the final, just as it was last year, everything the Edmonton Oilers expressed about this time being different came into focus.
“Last year, I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes,” goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “ This year seeing it, it’s: ‘I was here last year, I saw it. It’s time to get back to work and do my thing.’ It definitely felt completely different.”
The Oilers made the start of the series completely different, erasing a multigoal deficit to beat the defending Florida Panthers 4-3 on Wednesday night on Leon Draisaitl’s power play goal in overtime. A year since falling behind three games to none, Edmonton has a lead in the rematch and is one step closer to flipping the script.
“It’s huge,” said Skinner, who made some big stops among his 29 saves. “The way that we showed up right from the get go and the way that we continued to keep on going, even though we were down by two, that shows a lot of character by us.”
Draisaitl provided the heroics, scoring on the power play with 31 seconds left in the OT period after Tomas Nosek’s penalty for putting the puck over the glass. The goal was his third in overtime this year in the playoffs, tying the record for a single postseason, after Draisaitl had six during the regular season.
“He’s invaluable,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who set up the tying and winning goals. “He does so many good things: clutch, faceoffs. You name it, he does it.”
For a while, it appeared the Oilers would lose Game 1 this year as well. Draisaitl’s goal 1:06 in was followed later in the first period by Sam Bennett deflecting a shot past Skinner after falling into him.
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference, with the NHL’s situation room ruling that the Oilers’ Jake Walman tripped Bennett into Skinner. The resulting penalty paved the way for Florida’s Brad Marchand to score the go-ahead goal on a power play.
Bennett scored his second of the night early in the second period to put the Panthers up 3-1. They entered 31-0 over the past three playoffs since coach Paul Maurice took over when leading at the first or second intermission.
“I mean, they pushed,” Marchand said. “They obviously are a very good team, and doesn’t take much for them to score. So, not surprising, the push they did. They’re a great team. We’ve just got to keep going.”
Fourth-liner Viktor Arvidsson brought the crowd back to life early in the second, and fellow Swede Mattias Ekholm — playing in just his second game back from an extended injury absence — tied it with 13:27 remaining in regulation off a perfect pass from McDavid.
Florida counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky’s made some incredible saves, including one to rob Trent Frederic earlier in overtime. In between, he was greeted with derisive chants of “Ser-gei! Ser-gei!” that followed goals he allowed.
At the other end, Skinner made a handful of saves that were vital to keeping the Panthers from extending their lead or going back ahead late in the third, getting friendlier chants of “Stuuuu! Stuuuu!” every time he turned aside a difficult shot.
“He was great again,” McDavid said. “He gave us a chance.”
Up next
Game 2 is Friday night in Edmonton before the series shifts to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
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