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The Florida Panthers lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3 in overtime. They held a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but let Edmonton back in the game and eventually lost. It was an uncharacteristic loss for Florida, as they were 8-2 on the road these playoffs coming into Game 1. Which Panthers are to blame the most for the tough loss?
The Panthers cannot blame Sergei Bobrovsky for this defeat, even though it's easy to blame the goalie in an overtime loss. While Leon Draisaitl did beat him twice in the game, Bobrovsky made 42 saves to keep Florida alive. In the past three seasons, Bobrovsky has lived up to the massive contract Florida gave him. That continued on Wednesday night, even in a loss. Sam Bennett scored twice and Brad Marchand popped another goal, making them immune to the blame.
Who should Panthers fans blame for the tough loss?
Tomas Nosek took a terrible penalty at a miserable time
Panthers coach Paul Maurice came out and said that they are not blaming Tomas Nosek. But fans may not be able to look anywhere else after the overtime loss. Nosek was not pressured when he flipped the puck over the glass late in overtime, giving the Oilers a power play. Draisaitl scored with 30 seconds left in the extra frame to send the fans at Rogers Place home happy as Nosek sat in the box.
Nosek is a part of the Panthers' fourth line, which has rotated a bit throughout the playoffs. But once he came along with Jesper Boqvist in the second round, they stuck for the rest of the run. Now, the Panthers have lost Game 1 of the Cup Final partly because Nosek took an unnecessary penalty. That could be difficult to bounce back from, as all of the Oilers' stars are rolling after Game 1.
The Panthers' top pair struggled in Game 1
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Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad played as the Panthers' top defensive pair on Wednesday night. Ekblad took a bad penalty in the first period, which Florida was able to kill off. But that was not the first or last mistake the pending free agent made in the game. He was on the ice when Leon Draisaitl opened the game with a goal, and when Viktor Arvidsson changed the game in the second.
Ekblad and Forsling have been a dynamic pair for a while now, but the Panthers need much more from them in these playoffs. The Oilers have split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to spread out their elite offensive talent. That puts pressure on both the Ekblad-Forsling pairing and the Seth Jones-Niko Mikkola pairing, who were on the ice when the game ended.
If the Panthers cannot keep up with the Oilers' elite offensive players, this will be a quick series. That should not be the case, considering their defensive system got them this far, but the start of this series has not been great.
Sam Bennett says Panthers ‘sat back'
There are a few phrases that are brutal to hear from your favorite team after a big game. You don't want your coach to say there were “passengers,” for example. Another example is what Sam Bennett said after the Panthers blew Game 1 to the Oilers.
“We’ve been really good all year at not sitting back with the lead,” Bennett said, per The Athletic. “And for whatever reason, we sat back a little bit.”
That blames every skater, including Bennett himself, who scored two goals. Sitting back is one of the hockey sins, and when you have a two-goal lead in the Stanley Cup Final, you cannot sit back. The Panthers learned their lesson in Game 1, letting the Oilers off the rope.
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers is set for Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.
