Stanley Cup Final live updates: Panthers vs Oilers, Game 2

The Panthers rallied from an early deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Monday and take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

But the big story coming out of the game is the status of star center and captain Aleksander Barkov, who left with 9:28 remaining in the game after taking a high hit from Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

Niko Mikkola tied the game at 1-1 before Evan Rodrigues scored a pair of third-period goals to give Florida a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Aaron Ekblad capped scoring for Florida with an empty-netter.

Sergei Bobrovsky did the rest, stopping the final 18 shots he faced after letting the first shot he faced trickle past him and into the net.

Read the full recap here.

Evan Rodrigues gives the Panthers the lead

The Panthers went up 2-1 3:11 into the third period on an Evan Rodrigues wrist shot from the left circle. It’s Rodrigues’ fifth goal of the playoffs and second of the Stanley Cup Final.

Tied going into the third

Well, it’s another close game in the playoffs for the Panthers. Florida enters the second intermission tied 1-1 with Edmonton despite a 22-7 lead in shots on goal.

This is the sixth time this playoffs the Panthers enter the third period tied.

Florida’s record in those six games, for what it’s worth: 5-1.

Niko Mikkola ties it

After an extended stretch to start the second period in which neither team got much, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola tied the game 9:34 into the period with his second goal of the playoffs.

Anton Lundell and Vladimir Tarasenko got the assists.

First intermission thoughts

The Panthers go into the intermission down 1-0 after the four-on-four goal but will start the second period with 1:14 left on a power play that began late in the period.

Florida out-shot Edmonton 9-4 in the opening frame and had a 21-10 edge in shot attempts.

Oilers score first

A lot to unpack in this update.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a penalty 1:37 into the Panthers’ five-minute major, turning the game into two minutes of four-on-four.

Edmonton quickly capitalized, with Mattias Ekholm’s shot on a two-on-one breakaway trickling past Sergei Bobrovsky and into the net to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead with 8:43 left in the first period.

That was Edmonton’s first shot on goal of the game.

Luostarinen hurt

Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen went down after a collision with Edmonton’s Warren Foegele 9:21 into regulation, with a team trainer rushed straight to him in the Oilers’ zone. Luostarinen managed to get to the bench with help but went straight to the dressing room.

Foegele was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing.

This is a big chance for the Panthers to make something happen.

To this point, Florida has dominated possession and has a 13-2 edge in shot attempts and 6-0 lead in shots on goal.

What lineups should look like

Based on warmups, here’s what the lineups should look like for both teams.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

Forward lines

Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart

Matthew Tkachuk-Sam Bennett-Evan Rodrigues

Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Vladimir Tarasenko

Steven Lorentz-Kevin Stenlund-Kyle Okposo

Defense pairs

Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola-Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Dmitry Kulikov

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky

Anthony Stolarz

EDMONTON OILERS

Forward lines

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Zach Hyman

Adam Henrique-Leon Draisaitl-Dylan Holloway

Evander Kane-Ryan McLeod-Warren Foegele

Mattias Janmark-Sam Carrick-Connor Brown

Defense pairs

Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse-Vincent Desharnais

Brett Kulak-Philip Broberg

Goaltenders

Stuart Skinner

Calvin Pickard

Series schedule and recaps

▪ Game 1: Panthers star goaltender and Vezina Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrobsky put up arguably his best performance of the playoffs, stopped all 32 shots he faced in a 3-0 win for his second shutout of these Stanley Cup playoffs.

It’s the first shutout in Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Final since Roberto Luongo turned aside all 36 shots he faced in the 2011 Cup Final-opener for the Vancouver Canucks against the Boston Bruins.

Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen scored for Florida to give Bobrovsky all the cushion he needed.

▪ Game 2: Tonight

▪ Game 3: Thursday, June 13, Edmonton’s Rogers Place, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

▪ Game 4: Saturday, June 15, Edmonton’s Rogers Place, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 18, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, June 21, Edmonton’s Rogers Place, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, June 24, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

Pregame Panthers reading

Need to catch up ahead of Game 2? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald’s coverage over the past week.

▪ “Unreal” Sergei Bobrovsky shutout leads Panthers to Game 1 win over Oilers in Stanley Cup Final

▪ Panthers played ‘well enough to win’ Game 1 of Cup Final. Now comes the ‘grind’ of the series

▪ Aleksander Barkov ‘has been a force’ in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Wayne Gretzky is noticing

▪ Carter Verhaeghe came up clutch yet again in Game 1 Stanley Cup Final win

▪ The various contributions of Sam Bennett to the Panthers’ Game 1 Stanley Cup Final win

▪ A social media page helped Steven Lorentz get in the spotlight during Stanley Cup Final

▪ From columnist Greg Cote: The count is Bob 1, McJesus 0 after one game.

Pregame Oilers reading

For the Oilers’ vantage point of Game 2, here are some stories courtesy of the Edmonton Journal…

▪ Edmonton Oilers coach demotes veteran d-man Ceci, shuffles lines, but is it enough to beat Florida Panthers?

▪ Here’s why the Edmonton Oilers shouldn’t be worried, and why they should

▪ Philip Broberg has been a revelation for Edmonton Oilers

▪ The Oilers have to get to Bobrovsky in Game 2, among other things

This story was originally published June 10, 2024, 7:00 PM.

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Marlins and high school sports for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.