After eliminating Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak and Artemi Panarin, the Florida Panthers shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

Connor McDavid and Eetu Luostarinen

SUNRISE, Fla. – Connor McDavid took one on the chin – twice.

The captain couldn’t spark the Edmonton Oilers in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. He also suffered a gash on the chin early in the first period, which bled through a thick playoff beard throughout the contest.

The NHL playoff scoring leader with 31 points, McDavid finished with eight shot attempts, six of which made it on net. Most came close range of Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished the night with 32 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs.

The equally dangerous Leon Draisaitl ended the night with six attempts, four of which were stopped by Bobrovsky.

“There was lots to like,” Draisaitl said. “We generated chances, we had looks. Not a ton of puck luck around their net. Some weird plays in there, but they’re a good team. Give them credit, they did enough to win.”

And shut down two of the NHL’s most dynamic players.

For the Panthers, keeping stars off the scoresheet has been a source of pride throughout the post-season. Now, as they face off against McDavid and Draisaitl, this final series almost has the feel of taking on a final boss in a video game.

Canada's Walk of Fame | Inductees | Connor McDavid

But like any final battle, Florida expects to take damage. Its challenge is limiting at least one – preferably both – of the Oilers’ stars from having any impact.

“They’re two of the best players in the world,” said Panthers defender Gustav Forsling. “They’ve got different skill sets. McDavid is speed with everything. Draisaitl is an unbelievable passer, both on the backhand and forehand. He protects the park very well, so it’s going to be a good challenge.”

Florida is facing their third 100-point team this post-season in Edmonton. The Oilers have registered an average of 3.32 goals per game in the playoffs, third only to the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers’ power play has been exceptional, converting on 35.2 percent of their chances. Saturday marked the seventh time in 19 games Edmonton failed to score with the man advantage.

Although it is defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling who have been tasked with quieting the league’s top star, any Cats player within reach of McDavid on Saturday made their presence felt. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett delivered checks. Aleksander Barkov showed his Selke prowess stripping the puck at least twice from McDavid. Brandon Montour also disrupted McDavid’s momentum in a rare matchup against the forward.

“You never know a team until you play them,” McDavid said. “They’re advertised. They’re exactly what they look like on TV, what everyone says. They’re aggressive. They play hard. They’re fast. And they work. You know, they’re as advertised.”

The list of Florida’s playoff casualties to this point is pretty impressive.

In the opening round, Florida kept NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov from lightning the lamp. In the following series against Boston, David Pastrnak, who finished the season with 110 points, managed just one goal and two assists in six games.

In the Eastern Conference final, New York’s Artemi Panarin registered a single goal against compatriot Bobrovsky in Game 6. Mika Zibanejad couldn’t muster more than two assists in the series against the Panthers after recording points in nine of the last 10 games.

Now, for at least one game, they can at least add McDavid to their list as having taken a blow. Wounded, but not yet defeated. Now Florida must do it again.

“Tonight, maybe we deserved at least one or two goals and we don’t find a way to get them,” McDavid said. “This group will stick with it, bounce back. That’s what we take a lot pride in doing.”