The Florida Panthers picked up a crucial win to get on the board in the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida scored first, took a lead into the third period and held on for the Game 2 victory, taking down the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in double overtime to tie the series at one game apiece.
An early power play got the Panthers off to a great start.
A couple of great passes from Matthew Tkachuk and Nate Schmidt led to a shot by Sam Bennett sliding past Stuart Skinner to give Florida a 1-0 lead just 2:07 into the game.
Similarly to Game 1, it didn’t take long for the Oilers to respond.
Evander Kane snapped a shot under Sergei Bobrovsky’s glove to tie the game at one less than five minutes later.
About 100 seconds later, Evan Bouchard picked up his own rebound after a shot block by Sasha Barkov and beat Bobrovsky to give the Oilers their first lead of the game.
The goals kept coming fast and furious, as Seth Jones finished off a pretty passing play from Eetu Luostarinen and Schmidt to tie the game at two.
Exactly one minute later, Leon Draisaitl scored his second power play goal of the series, giving the Oilers a 3-2 lead that they would take into the first intermission.
Florida gradually began regaining some momentum during the second period, and it led to a tying goal by a Panthers defenseman.
Dmitry Kulikov wired a wrist shot from just inside the Oilers blue line that went off the backside of Evan Bouchard and into the net to knot the score at three at the 8:23 mark.
The third period was a defensive battle between the two teams, keeping shots on goal and scoring chances to a minimum.
That worked out just fine for Florida, right up until it didn’t.
Cory Perry picked up a loose puck and scored with 17.8 seconds to go, sending Game 2 into overtime.
Edmonton actually earned more shots on goal during the first overtime session, finishing with a 13-9 advantage, but it was the Panthers with the better scoring opportunities, 10-7.
The game ended on a Marchand breakaway goal 8:04 into the second overtime, beating Skinner through the legs with a sneaky backhand.
On to Game 3.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Scmidt recorded his second straight multi-point outing and fourth of the playoffs.
He’s got four points over his past two games and 11 so far during the postseason.
Bennett has now scored in five straight road games.
He has seven goals and 11 points over his past seven outings.
Evan Rodrigues has points in three straight games after picking up an assist on Bennett’s goal.
He’s logged 10 points in eight games since returning from an injury.
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Photo caption: Jun 6, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) scores a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period in game two of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
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