Against the Oilers

Panthers win 3-0 in NHL finals opener

Great jubilation for the Panthers

(Bild: AP/Nathan Denette)

The Florida Panthers won the first game in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0) in front of a home crowd on Saturday evening (local time). Although the visitors from Edmonton shot significantly more often on goal (32:18) at the start of the "best of seven" series, the Russian Sergej Bobrowski celebrated a "shutout" in Florida's goal.

It was two Canadians of all people who steered the game in the right direction for the Americans. Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Evan Rodrigues followed suit at the start of the middle third. Finally, Finland's Eetu Luostarinen scored into an empty net with five seconds remaining.

The Panthers continued their unbeaten streak against the Edmonton Oilers. They had already won both meetings in the basic round (5:3 and 5:1).

Statistically speaking, the opening win is worth a lot for Florida. Since the introduction of the "best-of-seven" format in 1939, the eventual Stanley Cup winner has prevailed in the first final game in 64 out of 84 cases - including last year, when the Vegas Golden Knights triumphed over the Florida Panthers.

Will they win their first title?
The 3-0 win was the first victory for the team from the Sunshine State to open a finals series. In their first appearance in 1996, they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche in the opener. In the end, they lost 4-0. Now it should finally work out with the long-awaited first title.

Meanwhile, Edmonton needs a win on Tuesday night - again in Sunrise - to avoid coming under pressure early in the series. With their first title since 1990, they would end not only their own but a national drought. Edmonton would be the first NHL champions from Canada since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.