Oilers vs. Panthers: Game 2 Information, Line Combinations, Starting Goaltenders, and More

Game 1 of this year’s Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers lived up to its billing.

The home side came flying out of the gates and Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring just over one minute into the first frame. The defending Cup Champs responded with two goals late in the first and another early in the second to take a 3-1 lead, but the Oilers were able to knot the score at 3-3 with a dominant third period.

After 19 minutes and 29 seconds of overtime, Draisaitl took a pass in the slot from Connor McDavid and fired the game-winning goal past Sergei Bobrovsky, giving Edmonton a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Oilers will now look to take a two-game lead before the Cup Final shifts to Florida. Let’s get set for Game 2.

Oilers vs. Panthers Game 2 Information

• Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
• Start Time: 6:00 PM MT
• Location: Edmonton, Alberta
• Venue: Rogers Place
• Watch: CBC/SN (Canada), TNT (USA), Fubo (Stream)

Projected Line Combinations

• Oilers: Head coach Kris Knoblauch utilized home-ice advantage in Game 1 by mixing his forward lines to get specific matchups with the Panthers. Connor McDavid played just under 10 minutes at even strength with Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry, and the captain also played with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Brown, Evander Kane, and Kasperi Kapanen throughout the game. Edmonton’s depth forwards contributed to the win in a major way, as Kapanen picked up two assists and Viktor Arvidsson buried his second goal of the playoffs. We’ll certainly see the Oilers juggle their forward lines again in Game 2, and we might see the team go for a different look on the blueline. Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak struggled together in the series opener, allowing 31 shot attempts and 14 scoring chances in just over 20 minutes of play at even strength.
• Panthers: There wasn’t any notable shuffling for the Panthers in Game 1, as the team rolled three forward lines while mixing in their fourth line. Aleksander Barkov’s line with Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues spent most of the game playing against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Verhaeghe line was Florida’s most effective offensively, as the trio clicked for both of the team’s even-strength goals. Brad Marchand scored on the power play, but his line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen didn’t generate offensively much otherwise. The Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling pairing led the Panthers in minutes played in Game 1, while Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola were tasked with playing mostly against McDavid and Draisaitl.

Projected Starting Goaltenders

• Oilers: Stuart Skinner was rock-solid again for Edmonton in Game 1 against the Panthers, stopping 29 of 32 shots for his fifth consecutive victory. Since coming back into the net for the Oilers in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights, Skinner has gone 7-2 with a .928 save percentage and three shutouts.
• Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky had one of his best performances of the playoffs in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, as the two-time Vezina Trophy winner turned aside 42 of the 46 shots Edmonton threw his way. Bobrovsky has played every single minute of Florida’s playoff run and has a .912 save percentage.

Thoughts and Notes Going into Game 2

• Before this year’s Stanley Cup rematch got started, there was plenty of talk about how both teams are healthier and better this time around. The Panthers added Brad Marchand and Seth Jones to their lineup during the season, while the Oilers are heavier and tougher with the likes of Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin, and Evander Kane in the mix, and their blueline is deeper because of the additions of Jake Walman and John Klingberg. After not scoring a goal in an injury-riddled seven games against the Panthers last year, Leon Draisaitl buried two goals in Game 1.
• Matthew Tkachuk, who said on a podcast last week that the best two teams in the NHL are in the Cup Final, also admitted on Thursday that the Oilers look better this year than last: “They held a lot of the play in the first. We got to our game in the second. They mixed and matched and changed up some of their lines in the third, got some momentum from it. In OT, we probably were better in the first little bit of it, and then they took over. When you have two really good teams going at it, two of the best teams in the League, you’re not going to be able to dominate a whole game. I think everybody saw [in Game 1], including us, they are a very, very, very good team with some dangerous players. Even when their top lines are playing together, they have other lines that can play. That wasn’t always the case, there so definitely their depth is better. They defend hard, block shots, and their goalie is playing well. So, yeah, they’re better, we’re better. I think it’s going to be a great series.”
• Though it’s still early in the series, both teams know the stakes are very high going into Game 2. A win by the Panthers would steal home-ice advantage from the Oilers as the series shifts back to Florida for Games 3 and 4. A win by Edmonton would put them in a situation where just one win on the road would set the stage for a potential Stanley Cup victory at home in Game 5. After having to claw back from down 3-0 to force a winner-take-all Game 7 last year, the Oilers would love to be on the other side of the table with a commanding series lead.