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Next Game: Stanley Cup Final, Game 2 Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers, tonight, 6 p.m.
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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner makes a save against Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart during overtime in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia. |
Game Day Notes: 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Game 2: Edmonton Oilers (13-4) vs Florida Panthers (12-6) |
• The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a 4-3 OT win over Florida in Game 1 on Wednesday
• Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored his third overtime winning goal of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 1. That ties an NHL record for most in a post-season • Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen recorded two assists in Game 1. Since entering the lineup in Game 4 against Vegas, Kapanen has recorded three goals and two assists in eight games Edmonton Oilers projected lineup
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid– Perry
Kane – Draisaitl – Kapanen
Frederic – Henrique – Brown
Podkolzin – Janmark – Arvidsson
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Kulak
Walman – Klingberg
Skinner
Pickard
Florida Panthers projected lineup
Rodrigues — Barkov — Reinhart
Verhaeghe — Bennett — Tkachuk
Luostarinen — Lundell — Tkachuk
Boqvist — Nosek — Gadjovich
Forsling— Ekblad
Mikkola — Jones
Schmidt — Kulikov
Bobrovksy
Vanacek
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Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane celebrates a goal by defenceman Mattias Ekholm against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on June 4, 2025, in Edmonton. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images. |
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Evander Kane is the last thing Florida Panthers want to see right now |
By Robert Tychkowski Evander Kane celebrated his health Wednesday by ramming nine Florida Panthers into the boards, talking a little trash and being on the ice for two goals in a 4-3 overtime win.
It felt good. Unless, of course, you were one of those nine Panthers, then it kind of hurt.
But they should get used to it because this is a very different Evander Kane than they one they caught a brief glimpse of last spring and he isn’t going away anytime soon.
“It’s definitely a lot more enjoyable and less stressful than it was for me last year,” said the menacing Edmonton Oilers winger, who played hurt all through the 2024 playoffs and lasted just two games of the Stanley Cup Final before the painful core injury sidelined him for good.
“It was tough not knowing after Game 6 against Dallas last year whether I was even going to be able to play at all in the final. Then, coming into Game 1, wondering how I’m going to feel in warm up. Then knowing how I felt in Game 1 and wondering how I can feel better for Game 2. It wasn’t much better.”
This time it’s full throttle. After missing the entire regular season to repair his injuries, Kane is wasting no time making an impact. Against a tough, physical team like the Panthers, having one of the game’s best bullies on your side can make a big difference.
“It’s been a lot more of an enjoyable ride for me personally and being back here again and feeling healthy is a great feeling,” he said, adding he loved how Edmonton seemed to dictate the physical pace Wednesday night. |
▶️ WATCH: Oilers forwards Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson speak to media on Thursday |
▶️ WATCH: Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman speak to media on Thursday |
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OILERS' KAPANEN MAKING THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITY IN STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
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There comes a time on the road for many pro hockey players, even NHL first-round draft picks with a fine, family pedigree, when rubber hits that road.
You come upon the Last Chance Saloon.
Meet Kasperi Kapanen. He saw it, keeping it to himself in his heart of hearts until he finally gave voice to that spot on the unfulfilled promises road Wednesday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I’ve bounced around,” admitted the Oilers’ forward.
“And there’s no point in getting into the why it wasn’t working out… but I knew that potentially this might be my last chance and I’m grateful they gave me the opportunity.” Kapanen officially grabbed that opportunity by the throat against Florida with two assists, five hits, and a wonderful split-the-defence and almost scoring play seven minutes into overtime, looking like 97, not 42, the inverse of his dad Sami’s old NHL number. For sure, Corey Perry, in his 232nd NHL playoff game, to Connor McDavid to Leon Draisaitl was the storyline in the Oilers 4-3 OT win Wednesday at Rogers Place but Kapanen’s play was a loud subplot. It’s been building for the 28-year-old Kapaen over these last eight playoff games. He’s scored three goals, including the OT winner to knock out Vegas in the second round. |
| OILERS' JAKE WALMAN SCORES MEME OF THE GAME TO OPEN STANLEY CUP FINALS
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Leon Draisaitl might have scored the goal of the game as the Edmonton Oilers struck first blood in the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. But the meme of the game belongs solely to Jake Walman.
(https://x.com/producerdrew_/status/1930481597922394285?s=46)
The 29-year-old Oilers defenceman could be clearly seen grinning like the Cheshire Cat in the face of Panthers forward Thomas Nosek, who had errantly flipped the puck over the glass to draw a delay-of-game penalty in overtime that led to Draisaitl’s power-play winner.
While trash talk doesn’t tend to get discussed by players who prefer to leave that part of the conversation out on the ice, the game within the game on display between whistles — both physical and mental jousting — could go a long way to helping determine the winner of this series.
“Obviously, there’s probably a level of gamesmanship that goes on, and that’s not only it this series, it goes on throughout the playoffs,” said fellow Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse.
“Any series when you’re playing four to seven games, there’s going to be those moments where the edge takes a hold of the game.” |
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Edmonton Oilers 2025 Stanley Cup playoff statistics
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Connor McDavid: 17 GP, 6 G, 28 A, 28 PTS
Leon Draisaitl: 17 GP, 9 G, 18 A, 27 PTS Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 17 GP, 5 G, 13 A, 18 PTS Zach Hyman: 15 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 PTS Corey Perry: 17 GP, 7 G, 4 A, 11 PTS
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Evan Bouchard: 17 GP, 6 G, 12 A, 18 PTS Jake Walman: 17 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 PTS Darnell Nurse: 17 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS Brett Kulak: 17 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS John Klingberg: 16 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS
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| Stuart Skinner: 11 GP, 7-4-0, .904 SV%, 2.50 GAA
Calvin Pickard: 7 GP, 6-0-0, .888 SV%, 2.84 GAA
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Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jake Walman mocks Florida Panthers forward Tomas Nosek after Nosek took a delay of game penalty late in the overtime period in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. |
'Don't poke the bear': Did Oilers ace d-man go too far taunting Panthers player? |
By David Staples
The first overtime period of Game 1 was winding down, and about to bring a much need breather to the Florida Panthers. For ten minutes the Panthers had endured a relentless onslaught of dangerous Oilers forecheckers and shooters, highlighted by two breakaway shots. Just then, with less than two minutes on the clock, fourth-line Panthers forward Tomas Nosek gathered in the puck deep in his own end and went to move it out of trouble.
Nosek rounded the net and found bull-like Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin coming at him. As Podkolzin leaned in to make a stickcheck, Nosek lofted the puck up and out of the rink. It sailed over the plexi into the netting. This was about the only way a player was going to get a penalty in a Stanley Cup Final overtime where the referees were loathe to call any kind of infraction.
As Nosek skated to the box in despair and shame, Oilers d-man Jake Walman came up and half-scowled, half-smiled, half-jeered into his face, goading the shaken Nosek, who was about to become Florida’s scapegoat when the Oilers scored on the power play.
Was Walman’s taunting of Nosek too much?
That’s how former Oilers d-man and Spittin’ Chiclets podcaster Ryan Whitney saw it. “He’s played incredible but I didn’t like this,” Whitney said of Walman. “Take the PP and move on. Don’t need to be testing hockey gods/karma with that.”
Added Bill Horosz of the On the Prowl: Florida Panthers Den podcast, “Don’t poke the bear. Too late you already did.”
Others saw Walman’s action in a different light.
On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sporsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted Walman and perhaps also Oilers d-man John Klingberg had provoked Nosek. “They made sure to get into Nosek’s space on the way to the penalty box,” Friedman said, noting that this was something players on Toronto and Carolina hadn’t done in the playoffs, never firing back as the bully boys of Florida kicked sand at them.
But Edmonton is a different beast, Friedman said. “Edmonton is making a point of saying, ‘Normally, you guys are the ones who set the physical and verbal tone. You get others you get under other skin. We’re coming at you with this too.’ They’re saying, ‘We’re not letting Florida do all the talking. We’re doing some of the talking here too.’ ” |
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▶️ The Cult of Hockey's "Never in doubt as Oil beat Cats in OT" podcast
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