Panthers win epic double-OT Game 2: Grades, big questions for both teams

We tried to archer you after Game 1. Unless 1 of these teams pulls up by a ample borderline aboriginal successful the game, it's apt that each contention betwixt the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers successful the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is going to beryllium decided successful the past 10 minutes -- oregon astatine slightest 1 overtime period.

That's what happened successful Game 1 with the Oilers winning successful overtime. It happened again Friday with the venerable Corey Perry scoring the game-tying extremity with 18 seconds near to nonstop it to OT. But it would instrumentality double overtime earlier different veteran, Brad Marchand, scored the game-winning extremity to springiness the Panthers a 5-4 win. That draws the bid level arsenic the games caput to South Florida, starting with Game 3 connected Monday.

By now, you cognize however this works. How did some teams execute successful different melodramatic overtime contest? Who were the standout players for each side? And, arsenic always, what are the large questions facing the Oilers and Panthers earlier Game 3?

Edmonton Oilers
Grade: B-

The Oilers scored 3 first-period goals, lone to springiness up 2 successful the framework earlier giving up 2 much successful the adjacent play arsenic they struggled to summation control.

Even with each of that, they recovered a mode to people the game-tying extremity precocious successful the 3rd play and unit overtime for a consecutive crippled against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

There was truthful overmuch up and down successful Game 2, and yet the Oilers inactive had a accidental to triumph -- lone to ticker Marchand people the game-winner successful treble OT.

For arsenic beardown arsenic the Oilers are astatine coming back, Game 2 reinforced the value of taking vantage of their opportunities. They controlled possession successful the 3rd play with a 63.6% changeable stock and 4 high-danger scoring chances; they had a 51.2% changeable stock successful the archetypal OT, but inactive produced 5 high-danger scoring chances.

Heading to South Florida tied astatine 1-1 is inactive amended than the alternate of trailing 0-2 successful a bid arsenic they did a twelvemonth ago. But fixed their OT chances, this was a missed accidental to person a 2-0 pb heading into Game 3.

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Corey Perry ties crippled for Oilers with 18 seconds left

Corey Perry scores a miraculous extremity for the Oilers with nether 20 seconds near to nonstop Game 2 to overtime.

Florida Panthers
Grade: B

How overmuch hazard is excessively overmuch hazard against a squad that ne'er truly dies, but lives successful a perpetual stasis knowing they could onslaught astatine immoderate time?

This was arguably the astir salient question facing the Panthers successful a archetypal overtime during which they generated aggregate scoring chances. There was the escaped puck that slid underneath Stuart Skinner's pads that John Klingberg cleared retired of the crease. There was the rebound that Skinner snared successful mid-air, portion Sam Reinhart's breakaway effort went wide erstwhile it could person ended the game.

It began to look arsenic if the Panthers could beryllium near to ruminate implicit different acceptable of missed opportunities -- lone to person Marchand get his 2nd breakaway of the evening to people the game-winning extremity and necktie the bid astatine 1-1.

Marchand's extremity did much than conscionable bring his squad adjacent against the Oilers. It was the quality betwixt the Panthers gaining a consciousness of power aft 2 games, oregon facing a 2-0 bid spread aft blowing third-period leads successful some contests.

Arda Öcal's Three Stars of Game 2

1. Brad Marchand
RW, Panthers

Aside from the information that "The Rat King" already has 2 traditions successful his abbreviated stint with the Panthers -- different sojourn to Dairy Queen which occurred aft yesterday's squad dinner, according Emily Kaplan, successful summation to the squad shooting integrative rats astatine him aft wins -- helium scored a shorthanded, go-ahead extremity successful the mediate frame. It was Marchand's 2nd shorthanded extremity against a Canadian squad connected June 6 successful past -- helium besides against the Vancouver Canucks successful 2011.

Then helium scored the crippled victor successful treble overtime, besides connected a breakaway, capping an unthinkable game.

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Brad Marchand wins it successful 2OT for Panthers

Brad Marchand's 2nd extremity of the nighttime wins it successful Game 2 for the Panthers successful treble overtime successful Edmonton.

2. Connor McDavid
C, Oilers

McDavid finished with 3 assists, including 1 that would person been the champion vocation assistance for galore NHL players -- and the champion successful the postseason successful galore instances -- but for the information that McDavid seems to beryllium doing things similar this each azygous game.

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McDavid wizardry sets up Draisaitl for Oilers goal

The Oilers instrumentality the pb for the 2nd clip aft Connor McDavid's sensational assistance to Leon Draisaitl.

3. The archetypal period

What a mode to commencement Game 2! The Panthers struck archetypal acknowledgment to Sam Bennett connected the powerfulness play, past the Oilers scored 2 goals successful nether 2 minutes acknowledgment to Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard. Seth Jones tied it up, but past a infinitesimal later, Connor McDavid made different McMagic benignant of play, blowing by Aleksander Barkov and making Aaron Ekblad look silly earlier making a sublime walk to Leon Draisaitl. Just a reminder, this was each successful the archetypal period!

There were besides 11 full penalties successful the opening 20 minutes, but it didn't consciousness similar it ruined the travel astatine each ... if anything, the powerfulness plays and 4-on-4 hockey it added it!

Players to ticker successful Game 3

Evan Bouchard
D, Oilers

Bouchard's Game 2 show adds to a tricky speech facing the Oilers erstwhile they scope the offseason. But there'll beryllium much connected that shortly. Game 2 was his seventh multi-point performance, and was besides the 2nd clip this postseason helium finished with 3 points successful a azygous game.

Here's wherever the nuance comes into play. Bouchard was progressive successful each but 1 of the Oilers' goals. If not for Connor McDavid, helium would person led them with 34:29 successful crystal time, which is somewhat much than 3 Spongebob episodes. Receiving that overmuch crystal clip further cements the spot he's gained from Oilers manager Kris Knoblauch. However, helium was connected the crystal for 3 goals against, including some of Marchand's breakaways, portion besides being assessed for a brace of cross-checking penalties.

There's inactive much to beryllium said astir however this postseason ends for the Oilers and Bouchard. But erstwhile it does? The 2 sides volition request to hold connected a caller declaration for the standout blueliner. Already connected a span deal, he's a pending restricted escaped cause who appears successful enactment to gain a important rise from the $4.3 cardinal yearly wage he's earned the past 2 seasons. How volition his play successful the remainder of the bid power those conversations?

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Oilers instrumentality pb connected Evan Bouchard deflection

Evan Bouchard scores connected a second-chance accidental aft getting the puck backmost disconnected of a deflection.

Matthew Tkachuk
RW, Panthers

What's a much bizarre realization? The information that Tkachuk hadn't recorded a changeable connected extremity until precocious successful the 3rd play -- lone to past person that changeable registered for idiosyncratic else? Or is it beryllium the conception that this was the sixth clip during these playoffs that helium didn't decorativeness with a changeable connected goal?

Or is it the information that the Panthers person mislaid lone 1 of those games successful which Tkachuk didn't get a changeable connected goal?

Although the Panthers recovered the indispensable violative contributions to triumph Game 2, there's nary denying that Tkachuk volition beryllium cardinal to their plans should they yet triumph this series. This postseason has seen Tkachuk respond by having a constituent successful each but 1 of those games aft helium finished with nary shots connected extremity (two of those shotless games were consecutive). Goals, portion crucial, are lone conscionable portion of the equation for Tkachuk, who had lone 1 of the Panthers' 60 hits. More is needed from Florida's superstar.

Big questions for Game 3

Can the Oilers find much consistency aboriginal and not trust connected their late-game heroics to win?

Two games of a bid mightiness beryllium capable of a illustration size to authorities that the Oilers indispensable amended their play close disconnected the hop, alternatively of trying to consistently trust connected their late-game abilities which has been the lawsuit successful some games frankincense far.

Look nary further than the archetypal play of Game 2. Although giving up 2 goals didn't assistance their cause, they recovered ways to regain control. They had a 55% changeable stock wide portion logging 14 shots connected goal, which led to them scoring 3 goals, including Leon Draisaitl's power-play extremity that gave them a 3-2 pb heading into the second.

But that's what made the 2nd specified a jarring 1 compared to however they started. They were constricted to conscionable 9 shots, gave up 2 goals and were mostly playing without the puck arsenic they had a changeable stock beneath 30% earlier they rallied to necktie the crippled precocious successful the 3rd to unit what became a double-overtime contest.

Even though they mislaid by the closest of margins, however they played successful the 2nd could person been the quality betwixt a 2-0 pb versus that of their existent bid split.

What indispensable the Panthers bash to enactment the Oilers distant successful the 3rd period?

In Game 1, the Oilers ended the Panthers' 31-game streak of winning erstwhile they had a pb aft 2 periods. It astir happened again Friday, with Perry's precocious third-period extremity that would unit treble overtime -- lone for Marchand's 2nd of the nighttime to triumph the game.

After allowing 3 goals successful the archetypal period, the Panthers had a 70.45% changeable stock successful the second. They had 8 high-danger scoring chances successful that frame, and made it number with 2 goals for a 4-3 pb entering the third.

Everything looked arsenic if they were going to triumph Game 2 until, well, the Oilers came backmost to necktie the crippled successful the last framework ... again.

Once the crippled was successful OT, Florida had galore chances to people the game-winning extremity successful some periods earlier Marchand tallied the game-winner.

There's nary request to afloat delve into however overmuch the Panthers cognize astir the Oilers' quality to travel back, fixed what happened past play erstwhile Edmonton came backmost from down 3-0 necktie unit Game 7. But it is worthy noting that Edmonton came into Game 2 scoring 15 goals successful the last 5 minutes of regularisation this postseason, portion besides being 4-0 successful overtime, which conscionable reinforces however thing is truly harmless against the Oilers.

In a way, the Panthers survived successful a mode astir haven't this postseason. They mightiness not beryllium truthful fortunate the adjacent time.