The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are facing off in the NHL's Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive year and puck dropped for Game 1 on Wednesday night. It did not take the Oilers very long to make their mark. In fact, they barely needed one minute to open up the scoring.
In front of a raucous crowd hungry to see the Oilers redeem themselves after last year's seven-game heartbreaker, Rogers Place absolutely exploded in Edmonton after Leon Draisaitl found the net empty off a rebound and put the Oilers up 1-0 with 18:54 remaining in the first period.
LEON DRAISAITL SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL 🚨
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 5, 2025
EDMONTON IS UNGLUED‼️ pic.twitter.com/FIcIcbr4G3
An incredibly exciting start to what should be a tremendous series. The Oilers went down 3-0 this time last year before improbably forcing a Game 7 that they would go on to lose. They seem uninterested in letting that happen again if this nearly-instantaneous lead is any indication.
Draisaitl's goal kicks off the Oilers' quest for Lord Stanley. And what a goal it was.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Edmonton Oilers Barely Needed a Minute to Open Up the Scoring in Stanley Cup Final.
