PREVIEW: Oilers at Panthers (Game 2)

The Edmonton Oilers look to earn a split of the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night when they face the Florida Panthers in Game 2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet & Hockey Night in Canada at 6:00 p.m. MT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Panthers (Game 2)

SUNRISE, FL – Run it back, but this time – a better result can and should follow. 

After liking a lot about their game on Saturday despite being shut out 3-0 by the Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers will be aiming to replicate that same effort Game 2 on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena to earn a split of the series heading back to Oil Country.

“I think it's encouraging in some ways with the way we played,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said.

“Obviously, you want to stack up as many wins as you can as early as you can in a series, but it's a best of seven and it's a race to four, so I thought we did a lot of good things, but we couldn't find a way to beat them.

“At the same time, we can wake up, have a good day here and stay confident within our group.”

Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves for the shutout in Game 1 to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the series, while their skaters were efficient with their chances by capitalizing on the few mistakes that the Oilers did make to build themselves a two-goal advantage through two periods off goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues.

Verhaeghe finished off an odd-man rush for the opening goal and his 10th of the playoffs after Connor McDavid mistimed a breakout before the Panthers were up the ice with numbers for Barkov to feed his linemate for the one-timer on Florida's first shot inside the first four minutes of the first period.

Over his career, 10 of Verhaeghe's 25 playoff goals have been of the game-winning variety.

During the middle frame, the punishing Panthers’ forecheck through Sam Bennett led to the former Flames’ forward winning a race to the puck against Cody Ceci and pushing it between him and Darnell Nurse to find a wide-open Rodrigues in front, who beat Stuart Skinner over the glove for the 2-0 lead just 2:16 into the second period.

Edmonton outshout Florida 25-12 and led them 10-4 in high-danger scoring chances through the first two periods, but with Bobrovsky on his way to a legendary Cup Final performance, the Panthers settled down to allow only seven shots and three high-danger chances during the final frame.

Forward Eetu Luostarinen made it 3-0 on an empty-netter with less than five seconds left.

"He definitely made some big saves, but I think there were some missed opportunities whether we just missed nets or didn't get the shot that we wanted to," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said "I think it's fair to say that he played really well, but there are things that we can do that are in our control that we could have made more on our chances."

During these playoffs, the Oilers have proven their ability to bounce back from defeats – often in a big way – with a 5-1 record following losses in the 2024 postseason where they've outscored their opponents 21-12.

"I think it's been a great trait of ours throughout the whole season – our ability to bounce back even period to period sometimes," Nugent-Hopkins said. "And of course, you're going to go through tough stretches through the season and it's how you respond to that. So even through the playoffs, we've been able to do that."

Whether it's been after a deserved defeat or a hard-luck loss where nothing was going right, Edmonton has shown they're a team capable of responding, but there's also an added understanding that Florida will no doubt improve offensively on their lack of chances from Game 1 and to try and take a 2-0 series lead.

Teams that take a 2-0 series lead in a Stanley Cup Final hold an all-time series record of 49-5 (.907), and a 39-3 record (.929) when starting at home. When it's tied 1-1, the results are split down the middle at 30-30.

"We should have that confidence, but we don't take it for granted thinking that it's just going to happen. We know they're probably going to step their game up, too. We're going to have to step our game up and prepare for that, but our ability to do it all season is a good sign.

"That's why you prepare for it throughout the season – for moments like this."

For the Oilers, the adversity endured over the 2023-24 season – from being 2-9-1 in November to facing elimination in both the Second Round and Western Conference Final against Vancouver and Dallas – has strengthened the resolve within the locker room and prepared them for moments like these when the pressure is at its highest in the Stanley Cup Final.

"There's no panic in our room right now," Connor Brown said. "We feel like we had a great process last game. Obviously, Bob came up with some big saves and, you know, but just keep at it. Keep. Keep pounding at the door and, you know, good things will happen.

Whatever Florida throws their way, the Oilers are ready to meet it head-on in Game 2.

"We're ready for any team's push. That's why we're in the situation that we're in right now," Leon Draisaitl said. "We're a really good hockey team that, believe it or not, can play better than last night, too. We've got more. We know that we can still play better and they're going to do better, and I expect us to better as well.

"You want to go home with a split, and I think it's the old cliché where you go on the road and try to come home with a split, right? So tomorrow is a big game for us, but even if it doesn't go our way, it's not the end of the world."