Panthers Score Four Unanswered Goals to Come Away with Resounding Game Two Victory Over the Oilers
In Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers squared off against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night after Bobrovsky's dominant performance in the crease in Game One. With Bobrovsky having posted his second shutout of the postseason in Game One, the Panthers were hoping to win the first two games at home. The Oilers, on the other hand, were hoping to bounce back in Game Two following an unusual showing in Game One, where their potent offensive attack failed to score for the first time in the postseason despite generating many good looks at the net. The Panthers would come away with a decisive 4-1 Game Two victory to grab a 2-0 series lead as the series moves to Edmonton, thanks to a two-goal effort by Evan Rodrigues.
In the first period, the Oilers would go on the first power play of the game after Panthers’ Sam Bennett was called for a tripping penalty. However, the Panthers' penalty kill would stop the Oilers from scoring on their fourth man-advantage of the series, being held without a shot. The Panthers would go on a lengthy power play halfway through the opening frame after Oilers' Warren Foegele was given a five-minute major penalty for kneeing Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen close to center ice. The Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson was whistled for a tripping penalty nearly two minutes into the five-minute power play, forcing a four-on-four between the two teams. The Oilers' captain, Connor McDavid, created a three-on-one opportunity for Edmonton when he backhanded the puck to Mattias Ekholm, who was on the rush. Ekholm beat Bobrovsky five-hole for his fifth goal of the postseason, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 11:17 on their first shot of the game.
The Panthers would tie the score at 1-1 midway through the second period at 9:34, after launching a rush that began in their own zone and ended with Anton Lundell backhanding the puck to Niko Mikkola in the middle of the Oilers' zone, who would beat Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner's glove side for his second goal of the playoffs. In the middle frame, the Oilers and Panthers would each go on a power play, but neither team was able to score. At the end of 40 minutes of play, the Panthers defense would continue to minimize the Oilers' shot opportunities. The Oilers managed just seven shots on goal during the first two periods, compared to 22 for the Panthers.
To begin the third period, just 3:11 into the frame, the Panthers would take their first lead of the game at 2-1 after having possession in the Oilers' zone and Bennett would send a wrap-around pass from behind the net to Rodrigues, who would beat Skinner top-shelf on a snap-shot for his fifth goal of the playoffs. After Oilers' Leon Draisaitl was given a roughing penalty halfway through the third period, the Panthers would attempt to score their first power play goal of the game on their fifth power play. With six seconds remaining on the power play, Lundell entered the zone with the puck and shot it toward the net. Rodrigues was there to deflect it into the net past Skinner for his second goal of the game, and the Panthers would increase their lead to 3-1 with 7:34 remaining in regulation. The Oilers pulled Skinner for an extra attacker with five minutes remaining in an attempt to gain some momentum and reduce their two-goal deficit. However, with 2:28 remaining, Aaron Ekblad of the Panthers managed to collect the puck close to the benches and fired it into the empty net to secure the Game Two victory for the Panthers. The Panthers will try to grab a commanding 3-0 series lead when the series shifts to Edmonton on Thursday night for Game Three.
