The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals have finally arrived as the Florida Panthers play host to the Edmonton Oilers for the first two tilts in the best-of-seven games series. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was outstanding as the veteran netminder stopped the McDavid and friends at every turn in the 3-0 shutout win in Game 1.
While it was not entirely the Bob show on Saturday evening, the Russian frustrated Edmonton with increasingly clutch saves never allowing the Oilers back into the game after Florida’s game four minutes into the first period.
Bob-ROB-sky Shines in Game 1 Shutout
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After Carter Verhaeghe‘s first-period goal at 3:59 of the first period, the Sergei Bobrovsky spectacular took center stage. In the first period alone, Bobrovsky made several stops on Edmonton breakaway attempts to keep the score round on the Edmonton side of the ledger. The Oilers fired 14 rubber discs at the netminder as they sent wave after wave at a leaky Panthers’ defensive effort in the first period.
Eighteen more shots were directed toward Bob in the second and third periods of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. He stopped each puck to claim NHL history as the oldest starting goalie to record a clean sheet to open a Stanley Cup Final. Bobrovsky was a little over a month older than current NHL head coach, Patrick Roy when he opened the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals with a shutout.
Edmonton’s other star forward, Leon Draisaitl, knows his teammates need to manage their frustrations when facing an All-Star caliber goalie like Sergei Bobrovsky.
“He’s going to make some good saves,” Draisaitl said. “He’s a good goalie, and he’s going to make some big-time saves — and knowing that is important.”
Florida Panthers Lead a Stanley Cup Final For First Time Ever
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With the win in Game 1, the Florida Panthers claim their first-ever series advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Colorado Avalanche declawed the Panthers in a 4-0 series sweep in 1996 as Florida led only a period in the entire series. Last season, the Vegas Golden Knights conceded an overtime game to Florida in Game 3 in South Florida before finishing the series in 5 games to claim the 2023 Stanley Cup for Las Vegas.
Florida superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk is not taking anything for granted and felt that the Panthers escaped Game 1 with the win. “It feels good. Always feels good to win,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “But we’ve got a lot of things to clean up and to get better at. They played well. We played well enough to win, just really grinded it out.”
History in Florida’s Corner at 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals
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The Game 1 win can significantly impact how the entire series plays out on the ice. Over the last 18 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to claim the Stanley Cup prize fourteen times. That is good for an absurd 78% win percentage.
With the odds tipped in their favor, Game 1 goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe and the Florida Panthers intend to lean on the bitter-tasting experience from last season’s Finals loss. “We kind of know what it takes this year,” Verhaeghe said. “We know how challenging it is, the ups and downs of playoffs and the grind of it. I think that makes us more equipped this year.”
Edmonton and Florida return to the ice in South Florida for Game 2 on Monday night at Amarant Bank Arena.
About The Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites). With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers.
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