2024 Stanley Cup Final – Game One
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was the hero for the Florida Panthers in their 3-0 shutout victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. Bobrovsky made 32 incredible saves to preserve the shutout, stymying the high-powered Oilers offense throughout the game.

After the win, Bobrovsky was quick to credit a higher power for his performance.

“The saves, I’m here for God’s fame, not for myself. I am nothing without him. I am just alive for the opportunity, and I enjoy every second of it,” Bobrovsky said.

Bobrovsky got plenty of goal support from his Panthers teammates. Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring just under four minutes into the first period on a feed from Aleksander Barkov.

Evan Rodrigues doubled the Florida lead later in the first on a beautiful passing sequence involving Sam Bennett. Eetu Luostarinen sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute, while Stuart Skinner made 15 saves for the Oilers.

The Panthers now have a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2 on Monday in Florida.

Oilers’ thoughts on Sergei Bobrovsky’s performance in Game 1

After the game, the Oilers shared their thoughts on facing netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.

“He’s amazing down low, he’s also amazing up high. It’s hard to beat him. He’s an incredible goalie, but he does a great job of sealing the ice. You just got to somehow find a way to score a goal on him,” said Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner post-game.

Skinner empathized with what Sergei Bobrovsky might be feeling after the win but knows that the series is far from over.

“That’s a tough question for me to answer. I have been on the other side of that. You feel good, but at the same time, you know you got a job to do. Florida knows just as well as we do that you need four wins to take it home, so one win isn’t going to do that.”

Connor McDavid discussed Bobrovsky’s ability to take away the lower part of the net.

“Yeah, he gets low. He does a great job taking away the lower part of the net,” McDavid said.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse credited Bobrovsky’s performance but didn’t seem too discouraged.

“He had a really good night. I think, obviously, they committed to collapsing down where there was chances in front of the net too, so they found the right result tonight. We regroup, and get ready for game two,” Nurse said.

The Oilers will look to solve Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 2 and even up the Stanley Cup Final.