A year ago, the Edmonton Oilers had to lose three straight before they eventually gathered their wits in the Final against the Florida Panthers and tried to come up with a massive comeback win of three straight wins of their own.

That was not the case for this year’s Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers claimed Game 1 against the same opponent, only this time, the odds are starting to shift in their favor. Connor McDavid played well to draw key defenders of the goalpost, and it was Leon Draisaitl who came knocking for the killing blow.

And just like that, the Oilers are now up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series against the Panthers – showing the hockey world that it is indeed going to be a different story of them showing resilience and grit. Three more games to win, and now they have their eyes on the prize as they close in for a chance at history in the league.

The Hero Play

After a promising run in the third period where the Oilers managed to send the game to overtime, Edmonton was quick to run the puck into the floor and put pressure on the Panthers to show that they are not letting this game slip away. Indeed, that’s what happened when the Oilers struck like slick oil.

McDavid received the puck and made his way to the right hash marks of the rink and looked to be aiming for the goalpost. As two defenders made their way to close out on him, the star made a great decision to pass up the shot and strike the puck to the path of a surging Draisaitl, who would go on to flick it inside the goalpost to claim the win.

That was the second goal of the game for the German star, who has been impressive in the postseason so far and is living off game-winners in OT. That winner was scored with just 31 seconds left to play in the first OT period, in addition to his first goal, which was scored just 66 seconds into the game.

"Just a number of really good plays. Great play by Corey (Perry) down low to get it to McDavid, and then a great play by McDavid." Draisaitl described the play leading to the game-winner. "We've done it all year, especially in the postseason. We stick with it and we're never gonna quit. It’s a good start for us, but we’ve got to regroup and get ready for Game 2."

Power Play Paying Off

Heading into today’s game, the Oilers were just 30% in converting power plays in the postseason. They couldn’t even score off the first four chances in the game. The fifth one, however, ended up as a promising shot for the whole game as it led them to take a 1-0 series lead.

Stuart Skinner made 29 saves, including 24 in a row after giving up the goal to Bennett and 16 in the second period. This is the third multi-goal comeback win that was pulled off by the Oilers in these playoffs, having three in their respective runs in 1988 and 1990 – all of which led to championship finishes.

Hopefully, this one would end up the same for the team as they seek to grind their way for a promising championship finish that puts them at the top of the NHL world.