Leon Draisaitl scores OT winner as Oilers rally from down 3-1, beat Panthers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

The Florida Panthers entered Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final with a dominant record when leading after two periods. When holding a lead after 40 minutes, Florida was 29-0 over the past three postseason runs.

Now the stat is 29-1.

The Oilers erased a two-goal deficit, scoring the game-tying goal in the third period before Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal with 31 seconds left in overtime to take Game 1 4-3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday.

Tomas Nosek was called for a delay of game when he flipped a puck over the glass, and the Oilers made the Panthers pay.

The Oilers appeared to get the early energy. The league’s leading goal-scorer, Draisaitl – who didn’t score in the seven-game Final last year – put Edmonton ahead 1-0 just over a minute into the first period.

Jake Wlman took a shot, which rebounded to Kasperi Kapanen. Kapanen’s shot fell to Draisaitl, who beat Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to the veteran netminder’s left and gave his team a quick lead, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

But Panthers all-time leading playoff goal-scorer Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett got Florida right back In the game. Verhaeghe fired a wrist shot toward Stuart Skinner, and Bennett fell in front of him. Edmonton challenged the goal for goalie interference and lost; the goal was credited to Bennett.

The challenge immediately came back to bite the Oilers. On the ensuing power play, Brad Marchand got a perfect feed from Nate Schmidt and scored to put the Panthers ahead 2-1 with 7:30 left in the first period.

Edmonton had another strong scoring opportunity when a series of penalties led to a four-on-three power play for the Oilers, but Bobrovsky and the Panthers’ defense kept the dangerous Edmonton offense from scoring. Although Edmonton had 15 shots to Florida’s six in the first period, the Panthers ended the first 20 minutes with a 2-1 lead.

The Panthers wasted no time in the second period. Schmidt and Bennett rushed for a two-on-one, and Schmidt fed Bennett for the center’s second goal of the game and 12th of this year’s playoffs, which set the Florida record for most goals in a single postseason.

But the Oilers struck back soon after Bennett’s second score. Viktor Arvidsson, a new addition to Edmonton who did not play against the Panthers in the Final last year, snuck a long-range shot past Bobrovsky to cut Florida’s lead to 3-2.

Edmonton tied the game at three goals each when Mattias Ekholm scored with 13:27 remaining in the third period, erasing the two-goal deficit.

The Oilers had the edge for much of the third period, but they could not net the go-ahead goal in regulation. Edmonton had an excellent overtime chance as Kasperi Kapanen got free on a breakaway, but Bobrovsky made the save.

The Panthers had the early chances in overtime, but the Oilers sustained pressure for much of the extra period before Draisaitl won the game.