SUNRISE, Fla. -- Who played well in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it’s easy to tell, sometimes it isn’t. NHL.com graded the players in the 3-0 win by the Florida Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. Here are the players who stood out the most.
Honor roll
Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers): He could’ve been listed a few times on this honor roll, to be honest. The Panthers goaltender was spectacular with a capital S, making 32 saves for the third postseason shutout of his career.
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers): The speed, the shots, the constant threat, the Oilers captain was once again doing just about everything in a playoff game. He led all players with six shots on goal and played 25:19.
Carter Verhaeghe (Florida Panthers): A big postseason goal by a guy who’s made that his career staple. The forward gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 3:59 of the first period, a statement in an otherwise meh period for Florida.
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers): He had the primary assist on Verhaeghe’s goal and Eetu Luostarinen’s empty-net goal with five seconds remaining in regulation. The Panthers captain also blocked four shots, had three hits and was 6-for-12 on face-offs.
Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers): The forward had four shots on goal, four hits and was 11-for-23 on face-offs.