Edmonton had waited 12 months for this moment — through 82 games in the regular season and 16 in the playoffs.
The pregame video montage began with the scene in the Oilers dressing room after the Game 7 loss in Florida a year ago. You could feel the pain. You could hear the players talking about returning to the Cup Final.
This was the first time since 2011 that the Cup Final opened in front of fans in a city in Canada. When the Oilers took the ice, the decibel reading hit 113.6. That’s equivalent to a rock concert, a chain saw or a siren.
It seemed even louder when forward Leon Draisaitl gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead 1:06 into the first period. In contrast, it seemed silent after forward Sam Bennett gave Florida a 3-1 lead at the two-minute mark of the second.
Forward Viktor Arvidsson cut the deficit to 3-2 just 1:17 later, but the Oilers had to survive a period in which they were outshot 17-8. Skinner was excellent.
“We just hung in there,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “I think that is experience, just knowing that we’ve got to open it up. We need to hold them at three and find a way to get one, and fortunately we did.”
McDavid set up defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the tying goal at 6:33 of the third, and the Oilers outshot the Panthers 14-2 in the period.
After Florida carried the play early in overtime, Edmonton took over. The Oilers pinned the Panthers in their end for stretches.
The pressure resulted in Panthers forward Tomas Nosek firing the puck over the glass and taking a penalty for delay of game – a critical mistake, the difference. McDavid set up Draisaitl for the winner on the ensuing power play at 19:29. Edmonton outshot Florida 10-6 in OT.
It looks like this could be another epic series.
“I think it’s obviously two great teams,” Ekholm said. “The thing right now too is, like, we know exactly how they play. They know exactly how we play. Those little, little details, they’re going to matter so much in the end. It’s one lost coverage for a second here and there, or a penalty like you saw tonight, or whatever it is.
“It’s teams that are also very comfortable in these moments and in these games, high-stake games, so there’s not a lot of free ice. There’s not a lot of free scoring chances out there. You have to work for everything, and I think tonight showed that again.”
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