SUNRISE, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky had the puck stolen during the first shift, got it back, lost his stick for 30 seconds at one point but still made a save. Connor McDavid had six shots on net, but none of them were on target.
Bobrovsky played great against McDavid, and everyone else who tried to test him and his teammates went on the offensive when they had the chance.
As a result, the Florida Panthers are on a roll in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The goaltender everyone knows as “Bob” stopped all 32 shots from every angle and in every situation in one of the most memorable goaltending performances in recent playoff history. Thanks to goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodriguez, the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the NHL’s best-of-seven championship series.
“It’s fun to play with those guys, those elite players, it’s a fun atmosphere,” Bobrovsky said. “I’m just looking forward to this opportunity. I’m enjoying every moment of it.”
Chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” echoed throughout the game as Bobrovsky fended off breakaway after breakaway, shutting down McDavid, the reigning three-time MVP, when he went into turbo mode, flying around and around the crease to make Florida’s net an impregnable fortress.
Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner for his stellar regular-season play, recorded his second shutout victory of the season and the third in the playoffs of his 14-year career.
Thanks to him, the Panthers are leading in a Cup Final for the first time in franchise history and are three wins away from hoisting hockey’s hallowed trophy for the first time.
It didn’t even matter that they were outshot 32-18.
Reaching its second straight final and healthier and more prepared than it was last year when it lost to Las Vegas in five games, Florida showed that experience on this stage matters, weathering the pressure and tense moments from start to finish as few players have before here.
“We know what it takes this year,” Verhaeghe said, “we know how hard it is, the ups and downs and the struggles of the playoffs. I think that prepares us even more this year.”
The goals from Verhaeghe and Rodriguez came on the first five shots on Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who was unable to score after a slow backcheck and losing a race to the puck.
Skinner has had his ups and downs in the playoffs this season and his play was thought to be the biggest question mark in the series, but he’s not to blame for either.
“A lot of good stuff,” McDavid said, “We didn’t give too much away, but the things we did give away were risky.”
Edmonton controlled most of the games at five-on-five, extended its streak of blocked penalty kicks to 30 and did just about everything right on the power play except score.
Despite that, the Oilers are lagging behind with this core group, led by McDavid and Leon Draisaitel, who is making his Finals debut.
“We know we have to get better,” head coach Chris Knobloch said. “We have things to consider and we have to try to increase our chances.”
It’s the longest series between teams ever to face off for the Cup, surpassing the previous record set by Boston and Vancouver in 2011.
The trophy was wheeled onto the ice before puck drop, similar to how the league shone a spotlight on it in empty stands in Edmonton four years ago when the playoffs were played in pandemic quarantine.
“I really didn’t expect it,” Rodriguez said before the final about taking the NHL Cup ice for the first time since the 1960s. “It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was a really cool moment. It felt really, really good.”
It was a stark contrast to the eerily quiet scene in 2020, when a sellout crowd of 19,543 screaming fans turned out for a fifth consecutive finals game featuring a Florida team.
There have been 20 playoffs in Canada over the past 20 seasons, but this marks the 22nd time in the Sunshine State during that span.
The other is scheduled for Tuesday when these teams return for Game 2.
“It’s a long series,” Bobrovsky said. “We’re going to reset, refocus and get ready for the next game.”
