The Panthers clawed their way back from an early deficit to put a stranglehold on the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
With its 4-1 win on Monday night, Florida is two wins away from its first NHL championship.
Trailing by one after the first period, defenseman Niko Mikkola tied the game in the second.
But center Evan Rodrigues, who signed with the Panthers as a free agent during the offseason, was the star of the game, scoring the tying goal in the third to give him goals in consecutive games. He then added a second goal 9:15 later to extend the lead.
“I signed here for a reason,” he told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan following the game, noting how close Florida has been recently to winning a Stanley Cup.
Game 2 marked Rodrigues’ second multi-goal game of the playoffs; he first did so in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bruins.
For the Oilers, it’s fair to wonder what else they can throw at the Panthers to turn this series around and win four of the next five games.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch’s decision to put Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the ice more often has failed to spark the Oilers’ offensive attack.
Edmonton’s one goal through the first two games is the team’s fewest over any two-game span this season. But considering the Panthers’ goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, has been outstanding, that might say more about them than it does the Oilers.
With Florida receiving timely production from its 2023 free-agent signing and Bobrovsky blocking nearly every shot that comes his way, the franchise’s first Stanley Cup is beginning to feel inevitable.
