Top standouts from Game 2 of 2025 Stanley Cup Final as Panthers beat Oilers
The Florida Panthers have drawn even in the second round of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in double overtime on Friday night to split the series in Alberta.
The first period was wild, with five goals between the two teams. The Panthers scored first at 2:07, with Sam Bennett capitalizing on a the power play to make it 1-0. But the Oilers would take a 2-1 advantage before the halfway point in the frame, with Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard each beating Sergei Bobrovsky.
The back-and forth nature of the first would see the Oilers finish the period with a 3-2 lead. But first, Seth Jones capitalized on a great passing play between himself, Eetu Luostarinen and Nate Schmidt to make it 2-2 at 11:37. Leon Draisaitl would regain Edmonton’s advantage a minute later, scoring on the power play after an outstanding pass from Connor McDavid.
Florida was the better team in the second, scoring two goals to take the lead back. This time, Dmitry Kulikov and Brad Marchand made it a 4-3 game, giving them a lead that looked safe.
Except, it wasn’t. With under a minute to go, Perry scored to force overtime, delivering in what had been an excellent showing for the forward.
But the Oilers weren’t able to finish the job in overtime. We got almost 30 more minutes of overtime hockey, but it was the Panthers striking this time around with a breakaway goal from Marchand.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Game 2 on Friday night:
Edmonton Oilers
#97 Connor McDavid, C: That pass on the 3-2 goal? Pure bliss. It was his second helper of the first period, with his energy and skill coming up clutch. McDavid was even involved physically, too. We know he’s capable of creating magic but this felt like one of the McDavid’s best games of the playoffs. Just pure dominance with the puck. No other player in this series can skate and make the moves he does.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, C: Draisaitl had a goal and an assist in the first period alone and then proceeded to be one of Edmonton’s best possession players. He averaged over 70 percent expected goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 throughout the night while also playing a solid physical game. Draisaitl joined McDavid on the top line and their chemistry was instant, as expected – we’ll see how much they play together moving for.
#90 Corey Perry, RW: Perry is the glue that made the top line thrive. He played his typical physical game, but he also made some excellent plays in open ice in the offensive zone and was involved defensively. Most importantly, though, Perry scored the game-tying goal in the final minute of the game Perry didn’t have any points and had just one shift but he allowed McDavid and Draisaitl to go all out and focus on generating chances while Perry did the dirty work. Perry sat at an expected goals-for percentage above 84 percent for most of the night, too.
#2 Evan Bouchard, D: Bouchard had a pair of penalties, including one that led to a goal. But he also had a goal and an assist, and nearly had two goals to kick off the second period. Bouchard plays a high-risk, high-reward games and the mistakes can be costly. But if it wasn’t for Bouchard’s offensive play in the first period, this game could have gotten out of hand for the Oilers.
Florida Panthers
#9 Sam Bennett, C: Bennett continued to be a thorn in Edmonton’s side. He scored the game’s opening goal on the power play, but later took a penalty that led to a goal after hitting Skinner. Bennett was at the top of the Panthers’ expected-goals chart all night long, which isn’t surprising given how active he was around the crease. From shots to tips to screens, Bennett is as dangerous as they come in front of the net.
#88 Nate Schmidt, D: Schmidt had some difficult years in the NHL, but has looked rejuvenated during the playoffs. He had a solid two-point effort for the Panthers despite playing under 10 minutes over the first two periods. He has arguably been Florida’s most impactful defenseman throughout the final, for better or for worse. His inconsistency has been a problem throughout his career, but then you’ll see games like today where he made multiple high-quality plays happen in open space.
#63 Brad Marchand, RW: The Panthers needed a big game from the former Boston Bruins star and he got the Panthers’ two goals – the shorthanded goal to give Florida the 4-3 lead and the double-overtime winner. Marchand didn’t have many easy matchups but that’s his thing – he loves a good challenge. The feisty winger led the Panthers in shots, and while he didn’t register a hit, he made sure to keep the Oilers occupied with his words. He loves battling in front of the net, and the Oilers couldn’t figure him out.
#7 Dmitry Kulikov, D: It’s been an excellent series for Kulikov, who had a great shutdown effort in Game 1. He scored a rare goal today, using traffic in front of the net to beat Skinner for the 3-3 goal. The former Oiler had the most hits for Florida in this game and had a few decent breakouts. Usually, Kulikov is at his best when you don’t notice him but he had a great showing overall today.
*with contributions from Scott Maxwell
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