Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

Oilers Strike First Blood in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Overtime Win

The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is off to a great start!

Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

Heading into game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers were the slight favorites to take the series lead. Edmonton has been playing really well at home, and that played into their advantage as they rallied from 1-3 down to net the next three goals en route to a 4-3 OT win.

The first game has set the tone for a series that could go down to the wire, as both teams showed they are evenly matched on the ice. With the euphoria of game one now behind us, let’s take a look at how it all unfolded at Rogers Place.

Panthers Take Command With 3–1 Lead To Start the Second Period

Game 1 got off to a flying start as Edmonton came out of the gates and broke through the 0-0 deadlock with the first goal of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring as Sergei Bobrovsky stopped two shots before a wobbling puck found its way to the Oilers forward, who put a simple shot into the back of the net from up close.

Florida, however, managed to strike back with 9:11 to go in the first and tied the game at 1-1 courtesy of the Panthers’ center Sam Bennett. Less than 2 minutes later, the Panthers took their first lead as Brad Marchand put Florida up 2-1 with 7:30 remaining in the first period.

With momentum on their side, Bennett scored the Panthers’ third goal of the night just 2 minutes into the start of the second period as Florida took control of the game at 3-1.

Oilers Rally Back To Force OT

Undeterred by Florida’s lead, Edmonton mounted a comeback, not allowing the Panthers any room to breathe as they narrowed the deficit to 3-2 as Viktor Arvidsson’s slapshot got past Bobrovsky.

Down 3-2 in the third with a little over 13 minutes left in the game, Mattias Ekholm’s shot went past the Panthers’ goalie after Bennett set a huge screen in front of Bobrovsky, who was unable to locate the puck. With the game tied at 1-1, both teams played well but had their chances to clinch the win.

With the first period of overtime winding down, Leon Draisaitl scored off an assist from Connor McDavid on a power-play goal, handing the Oilers the win and the series lead.

Game Takeaways

Game 1 is in the books and Edmonton has the advantage, although at this point it is nothing more than a slight cushion ahead of game 2. Both teams showed their ability to come from behind, and both teams showed this series has every potential of going to game 7. With that, here are a few takeaways from this game.

THAT'S ONE ✅@SentinelStorage | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/EyvnkAqxpq
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 5, 2025

Edmonton’s Home Advantage Could Be Crucial

Perhaps in a series as tough as this, home advantage has a big role to play. In last year’s final, the Panthers had the home ice advantage and rolled to a 2-0 lead early on. This time around, it was Edmonton’s turn, and even though it’s just 1-0, game 2 is again at Rogers Place, so who knows, maybe the Oilers will head into Amerant Bank Arena in Florida with a 2-0 win of their own.

Florida Couldn’t Protect Its Lead Despite It Being Their Strength

One of Florida’s biggest strengths has been its ability to close out games while leading in the first or second period. In fact, they have been so dominant with the lead that they were 31-0 in the postseason over the past three years prior to this game.

This series won’t be easy, and if there is one thing Florida should take from the game 1 loss, it is that they need to maintain their lead and not ease up, a sentiment echoed by Panthers center Sam Bennett.

“Don’t sit back. We’ve been really good all year at not sitting back with the lead and for whatever reason we sat back tonight.”

Experience Has Taught the Oilers Well

The Oilers this year look to be more composed and less fazed by the task at hand. Last year’s experience has shaped them into a team better prepared to handle the situation. Even when they fell behind by 2 goals, Edmonton didn’t let their emotions get the better of the situation, fighting back against a team that is exceptional when ahead.

2025 Stanley Cup Final

Connor McDavid

Edmonton Oilers

Florida Panthers

Leon Draisaitl

Stanley Cup Final

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!