A Hard Fought Game 1 To Open The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals
If the opening game of this series is indicative of what we will see in this years Finals, we are in for an exciting ride. One only needs to witness the over excited fans of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers fans erupted as Leon Draisaitl received a pass from Connor McDavid, who on a great individual effort, carried the puck over the blue line along the boards to the left of Florida’s goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, battling past some Panthers, and passing the puck prior to going behind the net. Draisaitl made no mistake, firing the game winner from the slot. Edmonton wins 4-3 in the fourth period.
Scoring for the Florida Panthers were Sam Bennett with two goals and Brad Marchand with 1. Edmonton goals came from Leon Draisaitl with two, Mattias Ekholm and Victor Arvidsson with one each.
The Oilers fans included Draisaitl’s parents, who were sitting along the glass near the Florida net. Much of Canada is also cheering for the Oilers, who represent Canada’s hope of bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Canada. The last Canadian based team to win the Stanley Cup was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, who featured ‘out of this world’ type goaltending from Patrick Roy (now Hall of Famer). 32 years is a long time between championships for Canada. But, no pressure, right!
The Florida Panthers may have lost game one, but do not count them out. They lost the first two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2 before finding the right gear and winning the series in 7. Florida features a strong defensive team that includes All-Star goalie and future Hall-of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky and goal scoring super pests in Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
Both coaches will be challenged to make adjustments as the series moves along. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch and Panthers coach Paul Maurice will match wits again this year. They are both very good coaches who will work their line-ups and strategies like chess wizards.
Paul Maurice will have to find an answer to the offensive combination of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. With the Oilers down 3-2 entering the third period, these two elite players turned on their high flying skillset and teamed up for the game tying and winning goals. Edmonton will have home ice advantage, which gives them the last change. The home team will also have ‘Oiler Nation’ cheering on their beloved team.
Game 2 is once again in Edmonton on Friday night prior to moving to Florida for games 3 and 4.
Stay tuned as the stars of both teams have come to play. Should be fun.
Keep your stick on the ice and stay safe.
Greetings. In introducing myself, I must relate that family is most important. I am a husband, father and grandfather. Beautiful extended family. I was born in the 60’s. Graduated from Laurentian University in Sudbury in 1985 with a degree in Social Work. Recently retired.
Sports has been and continues to be my foremost outlet for stress. I have been a coach/ trainer on over 40 youth teams, including hockey, baseball and soccer. Hockey is my number one sport. Began playing as a young child and continue to play several times per week. Huge Fan. I am not an expert per say when it comes to having close contacts to the hockey world. Still have expertise as a Fan. I have probably earned some form of “Hockey PTSD” over the years with the highs and lows of the cheering for the Leafs. I want to respectfully share my opinion and respectfully view your opinions. Should be fun. Keep your stick on the ice.
Take Care and Stay Safe.