The Panthers are now just two games away from making history after a come-from-behind dominant 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
If you missed Game 2, the 4-1 score is misleading. This one was a nail-biter until the final few moments as the Oilers pulled their goalie, creating two-man advantages throughout the final minutes before Florida put the game away.
The action was locked in a scoreless tie midway through the first period until Edmonton was the first to break through with a 3-on-1 breakaway goal. It was the first puck let into the net by Sergei Bobrovsky this series, and, spoiler alert, the only goal he has allowed heading into Thursday night's Game 3.1st shot of Game 2, 1st goal of the series for the Oilers 🚨pic.twitter.com/8ONTUbub1d
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) June 11, 2024
Being down 1-0 at home in Game 2 felt like the first bit of panic to set in for a Panthers team hoping to protect home-ice advantage.
In what might be the most head-scratching action of the series (perhaps the Panthers' entire playoff run), Niko Mikkola whipped the puck at Bobrovsky, his own goalie, in a near-catastrophic move that almost scored one for the opposing team. But he followed up the blunder by streaking down the ice and slapping in the tying goal on the opposite net. From near-zero to Panthers hero, all in a matter of a few moments — NHL playoff hockey at its finest.PANTHERS TIE THE GAME! WHAT A SHOT 😱pic.twitter.com/V8wLhdOV1r
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) June 11, 2024
With the game tied up and the Panthers back on the prowl, the party got started as Evan Rodrigues took his first step as the night's hero, scoring two of the Panthers' three third-period goals.
Rodrigues' first goal came early in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie, and his second score — a powerplay goal — extended the lead to 3-1. Rodrigues has now scored three goals in the series' first two games.PANTHERS BREAKS THE TIE.
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) June 11, 2024
That's back-to-back goals from Evan Rodrigues in 2 games for the Stanley Cup Final!pic.twitter.com/qcnLcxarQE
With the game nearly over, Aaron Ekblad sealed the Panthers Game 2 victory with an empty-netter late in the third. As far as three-goal blowouts go, this one felt much closer than the score, though the Panthers won't be snubbing their noses at a win that puts them just two games shy of hoisting the Stanley Cup.PANTHERS ADD TO THE LEAD ‼️
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) June 11, 2024
Florida is 51-0-3 when leading by 2 goals.pic.twitter.com/AhwQqMguDE
While goals are nice, the game's story was Bobrovsky, who was once again stellar in net. Bob made 18 saves — all coming after the first Oilers shot on goal went in — and squashed opportunity after opportunity all night, including four power plays.EKKY MAKES IT 4-1 FOR YOUR FLORIDA PANTHERS pic.twitter.com/CjD4eG0QMX
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 11, 2024
Looking ahead, the Panthers will head to Canada for Games 3 and 4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Game 3 is set for Thursday at 8 p.m.
