The Stanley Cup Finals finally kicked off Saturday night as Sergei Bobrovsky shut down the Oilers in a 3-0 Panthers win.
Stuart Skinner let the Panthers’ first shot of the game behind him for the fourth time this postseason, and another goal early in the second period. Beyond that, the Oilers have a lot to be proud of and confident in as they get ready for Game 2 on Monday night.
The Oilers finished the game with 32 shots, not including the 21 shots the Panthers blocked. They controlled play for most of the game but could not get anything behind Vezina finalist Sergei Bobrovsky.
How will Game 2 unfold?
Oilers Pleased With Game 1 Effort
There are a lot of percentages flying around the media right now. Two of them are that in the Stanley Cup Finals, 76% of teams that win Game 1 win the Cup, and 84% that win Game 1 at home win the Cup. Although the Panthers did both, the Oilers have a lot to build on from Saturday night’s performance.
On a night when the Oilers deserved to win, superstar Connor McDavid had an interesting perspective:
“Maybe it was the Hockey Gods getting us back for the Game 6, where we probably didn’t deserve to win. Tonight maybe we deserved at least one goal, maybe two, and we don’t find a way to get them.”
That’s certainly how it felt watching the Game.
Zach Hyman had a beautiful opportunity within minutes of the puck dropping, and the Oilers racked up 12 shots in the first frame.
Both Panthers goals came right after brilliant saves by Bob at the other end, and the Oilers just could not buy one.
“I think we showed tonight that we can play with them.” McDavid added, “That’s a confidence booster for this group, but we know that our best can play with anybody.”
Their magical penalty killing continued to be dominant, shutting down the Panthers on both of their power plays. However, their magical power play did not have such success. They are first in both categories in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to watch how that matchup plays out.
Skinner’s Mindset Crucial for Remainder of Series
Sometimes in the NHL, you just get “goalied”. Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head for the majority of the game, and it’s safe to say the Oilers can win the series if they keep putting together efforts like that.
At the other end of the ice, you have Stuart Skinner. Throughout the regular season, he had moments in which he was spectacular. In the playoffs, however, his inconsistency has been well-documented.
Skinner was replaced by Calvin Pickard for two games against Vancouver, and after a shaky performance in Game 3 against the Stars, many were clamoring for another change.
However, since that tough Game 3 loss, Skinner has not let in more than two goals in a single game and has done everything he needs to do to give the Oilers a chance to win. To put numbers to that point, he has a .912 SV% and a 2.03 GAA in his last five games.
What was maybe the most impressive thing about Skinner on Saturday, was his attitude and mindset in his post-game presser.
“It’s all about how you respond in those moments and I think that our team did an incredible job at that.”
He went on to explain how during their month-long winning streak, they let in the first goal multiple times, and they’re not worried about it now.
We all know Skinner is not Bobrovsky, and he doesn’t need to be reminded of that. Yet, in these moments he is always leaning on the positive angle.
The Panthers in many ways are the better team, but Skinner and the Oilers proved that they can compete with this team, and compete well.
“Big Boys” Had Solid Night Despite Zero Goals
Much has been made about the lack of depth production from the Edmonton Oilers. That still might be a factor in this series.
Plain and simple, Bobrovsky is awesome. The Oilers had their looks, and I expect that to continue as the series progresses.
McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman combined for 13 shots, while Bouchard and Ekholm added six from the blue line.
What will be interesting to watch is the ice time. All of those players mentioned above, except for Ekholm, played more than 23 minutes. Bouchard played over 27. Yes, there were special teams situations involved, but the less the Oilers score, the more their “big boys” play. We will see how much of a factor that has in the games ahead.
Game 2 goes on Monday night, and we’re all curious to see how the Canadian representatives respond.
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About The Author
Marc Sautter is a self-proclaimed sports addict, with the NHL being his specialty. After being a sports fan from afar, Marc made a career change in his 30s to cover sports through journalism and podcasting. His daily NHL preview and betting show “Pucks Across Borders” airs every weekday morning. In addition to hockey, you can read his work on the Canadian Football League all summer on Total Apex Sports.
