Draisaitl's OT goal caps Oilers' rally in Game 1 win

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Leon Draisaitl scored connected the powerfulness play successful overtime, Stuart Skinner made 29 saves and the Edmonton Oilers erased a multigoal shortage to bushed the defending champion Florida Panthers 4-3 successful Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final rematch connected Wednesday night.

After Tomas Nosek's punishment for putting the puck implicit the glass, Draisaitl's extremity 19:29 into OT sent the location fans into a frenzy and made definite the Oilers would not commencement this bid similar they did a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile they fell down 3 games to none.

For a while, it looked similar they would astatine slightest commencement retired trailing. Draisaitl's extremity 66 seconds successful was followed aboriginal successful the archetypal play by Sam Bennett deflecting a changeable successful past Stuart Skinner aft falling into him.

Edmonton's Kris Knoblauch unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference, with the NHL's concern country ruling that his ain player, Jake Walman, tripped Bennett into Skinner. The resulting punishment paved the mode for Florida's Brad Marchand to people the go-ahead extremity connected the powerfulness play.

Bennett scoring his 2nd of the nighttime aboriginal successful the 2nd play enactment the Panthers up 3-1. They entered 31-0 implicit the past 3 playoffs since manager Paul Maurice took implicit erstwhile starring astatine the archetypal oregon 2nd intermission.

With Connor McDavid starring the way, the Oilers rallied. Fourth-liner Viktor Arvidsson brought the assemblage backmost to beingness aboriginal successful the second, and chap Swede Mattias Ekholm -- playing conscionable his 2nd crippled backmost from an extended wounded lack -- tied it with 13:27 remaining successful regularisation disconnected a cleanable walk from McDavid.

At the different end, Skinner made a fistful of saves that were captious to keeping the Panthers from extending their pb oregon tying it precocious successful the third. Florida counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky did the same, successful betwixt derisive chants of "Sergei! Sergei!" that followed goals helium allowed.

Skinner was greeted with friendlier chants of "Stuuuu" aft saves, including 1 successful the archetypal infinitesimal of overtime connected a prime scoring chance. Bobrovsky stone-cold robbed Trent Frederic 9 minutes successful but yet cracked.

Game 2 is Friday nighttime successful Edmonton earlier the bid shifts to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4.