Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Ben Ezra
The Edmonton Oilers won Game 1 in overtime to begin the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, just as they did during their previous championship run.
When Petr Klima scored in the third overtime of the first game of that series in 1990, they didn’t require as much time. For an Oilers club that lost the first three games of the 2024 Final and ultimately lost in seven games, Leon Draisaitl’s power-play goal at 19:29 of the first overtime was equally crucial.
Sam Bennett’s second goal of the game (and 12th of the playoffs) had put the Oilers behind 3-1 early in the second period of Wednesday night’s game against the reigning champion Florida Panthers. However, the Oilers rallied for a 4-3 triumph.
With a good assist on Mattias Ekholm’s game-tying goal and an even better one on Draisaitl’s goal, the second of the match for the Hart Trophy finalist, Connor McDavid contributed to the comeback. He has tied an NHL record with three OT goals in the 2025 playoffs.
Tomas Nosek of Florida was given a delay of game penalty for placing the puck over the glass, which prevented the game from going to a second overtime.
After leading in the playoffs after two periods, the Panthers suffered their first defeat (29-1) in their three seasons under coach Paul Maurice.
The teams will play again on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and truTV in Edmonton, Alberta.
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Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
