With a goal by Brad Marchand in double overtime, the Florida Panthers tied the series 1-1 on Friday in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Marchand had one goal heading into overtime and won the game with his second. Seth Jones, Sam Bennett, and Dmitry Julikov scored for the Panthers as well. Anton Lundell and Nate Schmidt led the team in assists with two apiece.
Conner McDavid had three assists for the Oilers, and Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists on Friday.
In Game 1, the Oilers had won in overtime, 4-3. But the Panthers took game two 5-4 on Friday. They play fast, with an aggressive style of play and strong transitions. They like to move the puck and be physical with their opponents, so they can make them uncomfortable.
On the other hand, the Oilers also tend to speed up the pace when playing. They zone cycle, meaning they like a high-tempo movement between passes with the puck. This movement helps them generate lots of scoring opportunities throughout the game.
For Game 3, each team needs to control the other team. For the Oilers, they need to speed up the Panthers so Florida cannot be physical with them. For the Panthers, they need to slow down the Oilers so they are able to be physical with them.
Another factor will be the goalies. The Oilers’ goalie, Stuart Skinner, has played great throughout the season with a .928 save percentage. He made 29 saves in the first game and faced 42 shots in the second game, allowing five goals.
The Panthers’ goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, has also been playing well also with a .913 save percentage. He has stopped 84 of 92 shots in two games and only has a 2.86 goals against percentage.
The Panthers will have an advantage over the Oilers tonight because Florida is on their home ice with a heavy momentum shift after Game 2.
The Panthers beat the Oilers in a seven-game series last year during the Stanley Cup Finals. This year should be no different.
