Despite being outshot 14-4 in the opening period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers took a 1-0 advantage over the Edmonton Oilers going into the first intermission.
The Panthers didn’t wait long to jump ahead, scoring on their first shot of the game.
Only 3:59 into the opening period, Carter Verhaeghe redirected a beautiful feed in front from captain Aleksander Barkov past Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner. It’s Verhaeghe’s 10th postseason tally, second in the NHL behind Zach Hyman (14), and increases his franchise-leading total to 25 with Florida.
Coincidentally, Verhaeghe’s goal came moments after a turnover from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, which led to a high-percentage chance by Hyman. Bobrovsky made up for his error by not allowing a goal on play and had an outstanding period overall.
The 35-year-old veteran is a big reason the Panthers are up after 20 minutes. Bobrovsky turned away all 14 shots sent his way and stoned not one but two breakaway attempts, denying Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to preserve the lead.
