The Edmonton Oilers won Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final in overtime on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they could not get a repeat performance in Game 2 against the Florida Panthers. Corey Perry tied the game with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. But it was Panthers star Brad Marchand who scored the game winner.

Perry is no stranger to the Stanley Cup Final. He won the Cup early in his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He is currently skating in his fifth Stanley Cup Final in the last six seasons. The only Final he missed is the 2023 matchup between the Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Perhaps this experience in the Final has given him the ability to remain collected in pressure situations. The Oilers forward did not show any stress or panic after his team's crushing Game 2 loss. In fact, he seemed to downplay how heartbreaking it really was.

“We lost with 0.4 seconds left a couple series ago. Those are tough. You know, you go home. Yeah, you can think about it. But tomorrow you get some rest and get on the plane and be ready for Game 3. (The Panthers) are a good team. I keep saying they are a good team. They're going to push us to the max, and we're going to push them to the max. It's frustrating right now, but we're in the Final for a reason,” the Oilers forward said, via Sportsnet.

Oilers, Corey Perry looking to end droughts

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The Oilers are looking to end a couple of Stanley Cup droughts in this series. Edmonton has not won the Stanley Cup since 1990, two years after the Wayne Gretzky trade. On a macro scale, the team is looking to be the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

Perry is dealing with a personal drought of his own. The 40-year-old won the Cup with the Ducks in 2007, as mentioned earlier. However, he has lost each of the last four Stanley Cup Finals appearances he's made since. This includes last year's Final against the Panthers.

The Oilers and Perry have something to fight for in this series. And they are hoping to mutually end their droughts in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. They have a chance to regain the series lead in Game 3 on Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.