EDMONTON, Alberta Everything the Edmonton Oilers said about this time being different came to life when the Stanley Cup was taken out onto the ice before Game 1 of the final, just like it was the year before.
Goalie Stuart Skinner remarked, “I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes last year.” This year, when people see it, they say, “I was here last year, and I saw it.” It’s time for me to return to work and finish my task. There was no doubt that it felt entirely different.
Leon Draisaitl’s power play goal in overtime on Wednesday night helped the Oilers overcome a multigoal deficit and defeat the defending Florida Panthers 4-3, changing the course of the series. Edmonton leads the rematch and is one step closer to changing the course of events than they were a year ago after losing three games to none.
“It’s huge,” said Skinner, who recorded 29 saves, including some significant ones. “It demonstrates a lot of character on our part that we showed up right away and kept going even though we were behind by two.”
After Tomas Nosek’s penalty for throwing the puck over the glass, Draisaitl scored on the power play with 31 seconds remaining in the overtime session, providing the heroics. After Draisaitl scored six goals in the regular season, the goal was his third in overtime this year in the playoffs, tying the record for a single postseason.
After setting up the tying and winning goals, Oilers captain Connor McDavid remarked, “He’s invaluable.” He does a lot of good things, like faceoffs and clutches. He does anything you ask him to do.
It seemed for a while that the Oilers might also lose Game 1 this year. Later in the first period, Sam Bennett deflected a shot past Skinner after it had fallen into him, after Draisaitl’s goal at 1:06.
The NHL’s situation room determined that the Oilers’ Jake Walman tripped Bennett into Skinner, despite Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch’s unsuccessful challenge for goaltender interference. Brad Marchand of Florida scored the game-winning goal on a power play after the ensuing penalty.
