The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3–0 in the first final game of the NHL. Edmonton created a lot of great scoring chances in the fight, unlike Florida.
There was no doubt about the best player in the opening game when the hockey NHL finals started early on Sunday morning Finnish time.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky nullified all scoring attempts by Edmonton players as the home team won the opening final 3–0. Bobrovski made great saves time after time, and Edmonton’s pressure did not materialize into goals.
Alexander Barkov skipper Florida, on the other hand, purposefully used its position. At the beginning of the opening set Carter Verhaeghe tapped in the 1–0 goal and at the start of the second period Evan Rodrigues was able to double the home team’s lead. He completed the final score with an empty net from Barkov’s pass Eetu Luostarinen.
In the end, no less than 33 saves were recorded for Bobrovski. Stuart Skinner In Edmonton’s goal, he saved a modest 18 times compared to his official brother.
As expected, Barkov played Edmonton’s superstar for a large part of the match Connor McDavid against. The confrontation was beforehand one of the biggest talking points of the finals. Despite his few positions, or the plots he created for others, McDavid did not manage to help his team in the light of the results.
Florida’s home arena had an atmosphere in the closing moments of the opening final.
Edmonton got off to a strong start
The visiting team started the match strongly, as the team already created a great goal chance in the opening change. by Zach Hyman however, the attempt stopped at Bobrovsky’s helmet. After Edmonton’s strong start, Florida took the lead when Verhaeghe tapped in the opening goal after a great attack and a pass from Barkov.
In the situation that led to the goal, Barkov sped up to attack from his own area and left superstar McDavid behind in the skating competition. Barkov used the puck on the wing With Sam Reinhartafter which the direct attack culminated in Barkov’s cross pass and Verhaeghe’s assured finish.
You can watch Florida’s opening goal in the NHL message service X’s release below.
Aside from the goal, Florida’s top spots were few and far between.
Edmonton dominated the game for long periods, created several quality scoring opportunities and periods of possession in Florida’s defensive zone. Florida’s goalkeeper Bobrovski blocked no fewer than 14 shots and stopped, among other things, two through runs.
Florida only had 4 shots on Edmonton’s goal.
Another batch as a reproduction of the first
Edmonton dominated the puck game in the second period as well. The team once again created a lot of great goal chances, and especially the superiority in the middle of the set was to produce results. Bobrovski, however, canceled the Edmonton star’s attempts time and time again or the finishes went wide of the goal.
Florida, on the other hand, was bluntly efficient. The home team doubled their lead after just over two minutes of play. Sam Bennett led to the attack zone, played the end of the puck in front of the goal, from which Evan Rodrigues shot a 2–0 goal.
Edmonton’s expensive defender spoke in the goal Darnell Nurse gaming. Nurse’s lazy stick playing opened up a path for the pass in front of the goal.
You can watch Florida’s second goal in the NHL message service X’s release below.
After the second period, shots were recorded in Edmonton’s favor as much as 26–12. In addition to the quantity, the concern for Florida was the quality of the spots, as Edmonton had several first-class scoring spots in the second set as well.
– “Bob” has been incredibly good. We have given away too many chances, we have to improve our game in the final set. We’re trying to score the next goal, that’s our mindset, Florida Anton Lundell said in the halftime interview.
In the final set, Florida managed to freeze the game enough so that Edmonton didn’t get a grind like the two previous sets in Florida’s end. The Panthers have been strong in the lead positions throughout the playoffs and the same continued in the opening final as well.
Luostarinen was able to complete the 3–0 home win barely five seconds before the final buzzer from Barkov’s pass. In addition to Barkov and Luostarinen, Lundell and Niko Mikkola played solid matches in a Florida jersey. The Finnish duo didn’t register power points, but defender Mikkola, known for his strong basic play, played in the back lines for almost 19 minutes. Lundell played a good 16 minutes.
That’s how Florida took the first shot at the championship, which requires four wins. The match series continues on the night between Monday and Tuesday, Finnish time.