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Victor Petkov
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Draisaitl’s OT winner lifts Oilers past Panthers in thrilling Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
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Dramatic 4-3 win gives Edmonton the lead in the best-of-seven final battle

Leon Draisaitl ensured the Edmonton Oilers started this year’s Stanley Cup Final on the right foot, erasing memories of last year’s slow start against the Florida Panthers. After dropping the first three games in their previous playoff series with Florida, the Oilers responded with resilience, rallying from a two-goal deficit to secure a dramatic 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 on Wednesday.

With less than a minute remaining in the extra period, a delay-of-game penalty on Florida’s Tomas Nosek gave Edmonton a crucial power play. Draisaitl took full advantage, completing his two-goal night at 19:29 of overtime. The game-winner came off a perfectly executed sequence—Corey Perry fed Connor McDavid, who delivered a pinpoint cross-slot pass to an unmarked Draisaitl for an easy finish from the right hashmarks.

Viktor Arvidsson and defenseman Mattias Ekholm also found the back of the net for the Oilers. McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen each added two assists, while goaltender Stuart Skinner made 29 saves to preserve the victory.

Florida was led by Sam Bennett, who scored twice to set a franchise record with 12 goals in a single postseason. Notably, 11 of those goals have come on the road, tying an NHL playoff record set by Mark Scheifele in 2018.

The Panthers tied the game at 1-1 midway through the first period when a shot by Carter Verhaeghe deflected off a falling Bennett and past Skinner. Edmonton’s challenge for goaltender interference was denied, as replays showed Bennett was tripped by defenseman Brett Kulak. The failed challenge handed Florida a power play, which they converted into a 2-1 lead on a goal by Brad Marchand, who scored off a diagonal feed from Nate Schmidt.