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Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is underway, with the Oilers looking to double their advantage after beating the Panthers in overtime in the series opener.
Follow along as our reporters on the ground in Edmonton and team of NHL experts across the continent have you covered with the latest insight and analysis.
P2 15:37 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
It's an onslaught of Panthers pressure in the offensive zone. They've been in the attacking zone for over a minute and Stuart Skinner makes two critical saves on Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov.
Massive for Edmonton to escape that without giving up a goal.
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P2 18:04 – Oilers 3, Panthers
Oh my Sergei Bobrovsky! Connor McDavid finds Evan Bouchard, who delivers a blast that the Panthers goalie needs to dive across the crease to save.
Bouchard has three shots on six attempts tonight, including a goal. What a scoring chance.
P2 19:10 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
The Oilers are able to kill the Florida power play to start the period. As Evan Bouchard comes out of the box, he gets the puck for an odd-man rush.
The Edmonton defenseman fires a shot on target but Sergei Bobrovsky makes the save before a scrum ensues following the whistle. The intensity continues in this second period.
P2 20:00 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
The second period is underway from Edmonton. Florida starts on the power play for 41 seconds.
Evan Bouchard added another secondary helper on the McDavid-to-Draisaitl jaw-dropping tally, his third point of the game. He’s now up to 79 points in his playoff career, tying him with teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for ninth on the franchise’s all-time list.
With that first-period goal in his 71st playoff game, Evan Bouchard has matched Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar as the fastest active defenseman to 20 career playoff goals.
Only six other defensemen have reached 20 goals that quickly in NHL history:
Reinhart, of course, is the father of Panthers forward Sam Reinhart.
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Remember, you can send us your thoughts, questions and predictions by emailing us at live@theathletic.com, and if you're a subscriber you can also join the Game 2 discussion page.
Evan Bouchard got another playoff goal in the first period tonight. Per Sportsnet stats, Bouchard is the class of the NHL for playoff goals by a defenseman since 2022.
Below are his playoff goals by type and where that ranks among the league (you'll notice a pattern).
With his 10th goal in the 2025 NHL playoffs (and third in this Stanley Cup Final already), Leon Draisaitl has become the third player in NHL history to score 10-plus goals in three consecutive postseasons.
He joins Mike Bossy (in four straight playoffs from 1980-1983) and fellow Oiler Wayne Gretzky (three straight from 1983-1985).
Shots:
Shot attempts:
Hits:
Faceoffs won:
Power play:
Penalty minutes:
Blocked shots:
Connor McDavid has recorded his 33rd career multi-assist playoff game, and did so in dramatic fashion with a beautiful pass through traffic to Leon Draisaitl for the Oilers' third goal of the first period.
McDavid is now alone in third place all-time in terms of multi-assist playoff games, behind Wayne Gretzky (72) and Mark Messier (40). His performance tonight broke a tie with Sidney Crosby, Doug Gilmour and Ray Bourque (all with 32).
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For a second straight game to begin the Final, Sam Bennett has set a new record.
His 12th road goal of these playoffs is a new NHL record, surpassing Mark Scheifele's total of 11 in 2018.
That's as wild an opening period in the Stanley Cup final that I can remember in all the years covering this. Everything was happening.
P1 0:00 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
What a first period to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final! Five goals and seven power plays later and the Oilers lead by one over the Panthers.
Stuart Skinner makes a critical save on Aleksander Barkov to end the frame. Florida will have some power play left to start the second.
Evan Bouchard gets busted for retaliating. The refs missed Tomas Nosek's infraction on him, and he immediately got up and cross-checked him in the back.
P1 1:19 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
Congrats to those who guessed that the Florida Panthers would get another power play to end the first period. Just to even things up right?
Well, that's what is happening as Evan Bouchard cross-checks Tomas Nosek. Florida will look to tie this game late in the opening frame.
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P1 2:40 – Oilers 3, Panthers 2
What a huge save from Sergei Bobrovsky, coming out of his crease to take away from the angle for Darnell Nurse.
The Panthers kill off the penalty. Take a breath, hockey fans.
We're up to 10 penalties called in the opening period of this game. The officials are doing everything they can to keep this one under control, and I'm still not sure they are.
Per the NHL, this is now the highest-scoring first period in a Stanley Cup Final since Game 5 in 2016, where the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins combined for five first-period goals.
