Leon Draisaitl delivered in overtime, and the Oilers are off to a flying start in the Stanley Cup Final.
Draisaitl capped a two-goal night with the winner on the power play, lifting Edmonton to a dramatic 4–3 comeback victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Connor McDavid recorded his second assist of the game, chipping a perfect feed to Draisaitl, who buried it with just 31 seconds left in OT.
Edmonton fell behind 3–1 early in the second period but clawed back with goals from Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm to force extra time. Goalie Stuart Skinner made 29 saves in the win.
It’s a familiar foe for Edmonton fans—Florida defeated the Oilers in a crushing Game 7 last year. But this time, Edmonton landed the first punch.
Draisaitl opened the scoring just 66 seconds in, burying a rebound for his eighth of the playoffs—also the fastest goal to open a Cup Final since 1976.
Florida answered with three straight goals, including two from Sam Bennett, who now holds the Panthers’ franchise record for most playoff goals in a single postseason.
The Oilers roared back in the third, outshooting Florida 14–2. Ekholm, playing just his second game since returning from injury, tied it midway through the final frame with a blast from the point.
With the win, Edmonton takes a 1–0 series lead and keeps momentum firmly in their corner. History is on their side—teams that win Game 1 go on to lift the Cup nearly 77% of the time.
Game 2 goes Friday night at Rogers Place, where the atmosphere is sure to be electric.
