Panthers vs. Oilers final score, result: Sergei Bobrovsky's shutout leads Florida to Game 1 win in Stanley Cup Final

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Bryan Murphy
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Sergei Bobrovsky was on the case in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. 

There was plenty of discussion surrounding the high-powered offense of the Oilers heading into this series. Armed with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and more, Edmonton was primed to give Florida a handful. 

However, the Oilers had no answer for the talented Bobrovsky on Saturday night, as the Panthers goaltender turned aside all 32 shots he faced, leading Florida to a 3-0 win in Game 1, and a 1-0 series lead. 

It was the second shutout of the 2024 playoffs for Bobrvosky, and it also marked the first time the Oilers were held without a goal in this postseason. 

MORE: Watch Oilers vs. Panthers Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Fubo (free trial)

Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring for the Panthers in the first period, finishing off a pretty passing play from Florida captain Aleksander Barkov to give the Cats a 1-0 lead early in the game. The lead was doubled in the second period when Sam Bennett found an open Evan Rodrigues in the slot for a goal. Eetu Luostarinen sealed the deal with an empty-net tally in the dying seconds. 

Florida held Edmonton's potent power play scoreless on three attempts, as the penalty kill continues to be a strength of Paul Maurice's team. McDavid's four-game point streak was snapped, as he was held pointless for just the fifth time in 19 postseason games this spring. While the Oilers controlled a majority of the play, the team could not convert on a number of Grade-A scoring chances, including three breakaways. 

The Sporting News provided all of the updates and highlights from Panthers vs. Oilers Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. 

STANLEY CUP FINAL: TSN PREDICTIONS | AI PROJECTIONS

Panthers vs. Oilers final score

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Panthers vs. Oilers updates, highlights from Game 1 of 2024 Stanley Cup Final

(All times Eastern)

Final: Panthers 3, Oilers 0

10:59 p.m.: Sergei Bobrovsky's 32-save shutout propels the Panthers to a Game 1 win over the Oilers. While Edmonton controlled a majority of the play, the Oilers had no answer for Florida's stellar goaltender. It's the first time the Oilers have been shut out this postseason, and Bobrovsky's second shutout of the playoffs. 

Panthers 3, Oilers 0

10:56 p.m.: GOAL! Eetu Luostarinen seals the win for the Panthers. He blocks a shot from Bouchard, gets a pass from Barkov and sends it into the empty net. Game 1 goes to Florida. 

10:52 p.m.: Timeout by Edmonton with 1:21 left in regulation. 

10:51 p.m.: Skinner goes to the Edmonton bench and the Oilers have the extra skater on with just over two minutes to go. 

10:47 p.m.: There's less than five minutes to go in Game 1. The Panthers have yet to win a game this postseason when they are outshot, owning an 0-2 record. They are minutes away from accomplishing just that, with shots in the Oilers' favor, 32-15. 

10:43 p.m.: Knoblauch is going with McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line with Hyman late here in the third. The Edmonton head coach is cutting down his bench with the team down 2-0. 

10:38 p.m.: The Panthers are more than willing to play the dump and chase game. Every time they reach the red line, it's going deep into the Edmonton zone. 

10:34 p.m.: The Oilers' penalty kill continues to be elite, as Edmonton kills off the Perry minor. It's back to even strength with 11 minutes left in regulation. 

10:31 p.m.: With 13:13 to go in the third, the Panthers get their second power play of the night. Corey Perry is whistled for interference after knocking over Anton Lundell. 

10:25 p.m.: Bobrovsky turns away another Oilers' chance, this time coming on a McDavid one-timer. Barkov turned the puck over and it led to Hyman finding McDavid near the net, but once again, the Panthers goalie comes through. 

10:20 p.m.: The third period is underway. The Panthers are 20 minutes away from grabbing a 1-0 series lead, while the Oilers aim to come back on the road.  

End of the second period: Panthers 2, Oilers 0

10:02 p.m.: After two periods, it's 2-0 Panthers. Bobrovsky has been the first, second and third star of the night so far for Florida. The veteran goaltender has been sensational so far, keeping the high-powered offense of the Oilers scoreless. Knoblauch has been putting McDavid and Draisaitl together more often, so we'll see what the plan of attack is for Edmonton in the third. 

10 p.m.: The Panthers finally get a scoring chance of its own, as Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov go down on an odd man rush. Reinhart's shot is shouldered away by Skinner, and Barkov skates too far past the rebound. 

9:56 p.m.: The Oilers continue to be the better team, but nothing is working against Bobrovsky and the Panthers' defense. Edmonton is outshooting Florida 26-12 so far in this game, but still are held without a goal. 

9:47 p.m.: Bobrovsky is unstoppable right now. He turns aside a McDavid shot and rebound, a Bouchard one-timer and a couple more power play chances for the Oilers. The Panthers are playing with fire right now, but so far, the Oilers have no answer for Bobrovsky. It's back to even strength with less than seven minutes to go.  

9:44 p.m.: The Oilers are heading to their third power play of the night, as Sam Bennett is called for interference on Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton is 0 for 2 so far tonight, but have generated multiple chances on the man advantage. 

9:42 p.m.: The play is confirmed to be no goal. Janmark and Brown are off to the box for roughing for Edmonton, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Stenlund for Florida. It remains 5 on 5 with 9:36 left in the second. 

9:40 p.m.: We've got our first major scrum in the Stanley Cup Final. Mattias Janmark gets a third breakaway for the Oilers, but his attempt to stuff it by Bobrovsky is denied. Connor Brown comes in and jams at Bobrovsky, knocking him and the puck into the net, but the play is waived off. Florida isn't happy about Brown jabbing at its goalie and go after him, resulting in a brief melee. 

9:38 p.m.: How Kris Knoblauch uses Ceci and Nurse on the Oilers' blue line is something to watch. He broke the pair up last series when the two struggled defensively. They have been on the ice for both of the Panthers goals against and are getting hemmed into their own zone. 

9:29 p.m.: Bobrovsky continues to be stellar in net for the Panthers. The Oilers have eight scoring chances so far compared to the Panthers' three, but Edmonton has yet to get one by the Florida goaltender. 

Panthers 2, Oilers 0

9:24 p.m.: GOAL! The forecheck for the Panthers goes to work and it results in a goal. Sam Bennett beats the Oilers on his own dump-in, finds Evan Rodrigues in the slot and he roofs it over Skinner for the 2-0 lead just 2:16 into the second. The struggles from Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse continue, as the pair are on the ice for another goal against for Edmonton. 

9:22 p.m.: The second period is a go from Amerant Bank Arena. The Oilers have 1:51 of power play left. 

End of the first period: Panthers 1, Oilers 0

9:03 p.m.: After 20 minutes, it's 1-0 Panthers thanks to the Verhaeghe goal and the early brilliance of Bobrovsky in net. His two breakaway stops kept the Oilers off the board, who outshot the Panthers 14-4 and were the better team in the period. Edmonton will have 1:52 of power play time to start the second period. 

9:02 p.m.: Verhaeghe gets stick into the face of Evan Bouchard and is called for high-sticking with 8.8 seconds left in the period. That was a careless play by Verhaeghe on the forecheck. The Oilers get their second PP chance of the night. 

8:59 p.m.: For as much pressure as the Florida offense is applying, the Edmonton defense is doing an excellent job of keeping the Panthers to the outside, limiting shots on goal in the process. There's less than a minute left, and Florida just got its fourth shot on goal. 

8:56 p.m.: The Panthers fight off the Oilers power play for the first time, as Forsling exits the box. It wasn't without a couple of solid chances for Edmonton. Florida has now killed 34 of the last 35 power plays against.

8:54 p.m.: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sneaks in behind the Florida defense and Ekholm hits him for a breakaway. He tries a similar move to Henrique, going to his backhand, but the attempt is denied again by Bobrovsky. The Panthers goaltender has been stellar so far. 

8:51 p.m.: McDavid uses his legs to draw a tripping penalty on Gustav Forsling, giving the Oilers its first power play. Edmonton has come through on 37% of its power plays so far, and get its first chance of the Stanley Cup Final with 5:07 left in the first. 

8:50 p.m.: Adam Henrique gets a breakaway chance for the Oilers thanks to an excellent touch pass by Mattias Janmark, but his backhand attempt is stopped by the toe of Bobrovsky. 

8:49 p.m.: The Oilers are getting sloppy in their own zone. There have been about three or four errant passes over the last three minutes in their defensive zone that have led to turnovers at their own blue line. The last thing you want against this Panthers forecheck is tired defensemen. 

8:45 p.m.: A loose puck finds Leon Draisaitl wide open in front of the Florida net, but his backhand is denied by Bobrovsky's pad. 

8:42 p.m.: There was a lot of sustained offensive zone time during that power play by the Panthers, but Florida can't solve the Edmonton penalty kill. Back to full strength. 

8:37 p.m.: Mattias Ekholm takes the legs out from Kyle Okposo, and the Panthers will get a power play 7:33 into the first. Ekholm wasn't happy with the tripping call, but nonetheless, the Oilers now play down a man for two minutes. The Edmonton PK has been excellent, killing off 93% of their opponents' power plays in the playoffs. 

8:35 p.m.: Connor McDavid gets his first scoring chance of the game, as the Oilers captain zooms in from the outside and powers his way to the net. However, his five-hole attempt is turned aside by Bobrovsky. 

Panthers 1, Oilers 0

8:31 p.m.: GOAL! Carter Verhaeghe is a playoff performer. Florida goes down on an odd man rush and Aleksander Barkov flips a backhand to an open Verhaeghe cutting to the net for the goal. That's Verhaeghe's 10th goal in these playoffs, which pulls him into a tie for second out of all skaters. Just under four minutes into Game 1, and it's 1-0 Panthers. 

8:29 p.m.: There's plenty of action in the first three and a half minutes, as the two sides go 3:24 without a whistle. Both the Panthers and Oilers had spells of sustained offensive zone time. Florida, as expected, is off to a physical start. 

8:26 p.m.: The puck is down, and the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is underway. 

Pregame

8:10 p.m.: Puck drop is coming up shortly at Amerant Bank Arena for Game 1. 

7:55 p.m.: Here's how the lineups look for both sides. No changes for Florida, but Warren Foegele and Philip Broberg enter for Edmonton. 

7:43 p.m.: Connor McDavid is riding a four-game point streak heading into the Stanley Cup Final, with two goals and six assists in that span. Evan Bouchard also is on a four-game point streak for the Oilers, with a goal and five assists in those four contests. 

7:32 p.m.: As expected, it's Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Stuart Skinner in net. Bobrovsky has played in all 17 games for the Panthers this postseason, sporting a 2.20 GAA and .911 SV% with a shutout and a 12-5 record. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner has seen action in 16 of Edmonton's 18 postseason contests. He was briefly benched during the second round against the Canucks, but bounced back and has been strong since. Skinner owns a 2.50 GAA and .897 SV%. 

7:13 p.m.: When you look at the two benches for these teams, it's two head coaches on opposite ends of the coaching spectrum. On the Florida side, there is Paul Maurice, who is in his third career Stanley Cup Final. He comes with 130 playoff games of experience. For Edmonton, Kris Knoblauch has 77 games in the NHL, including regular season and playoffs. 

6:53 p.m.: As we know, the Panthers are in familiar territory. Florida played in the Stanley Cup Final last year, losing to Vegas in the 2023 championship series. It's the same core group in place, with some tinkering to the complimentary pieces. Edmonton hasn't played in a Stanley Cup Final since 2006, as this marks the first appearance in the McDavid era. 

6:30 p.m.: The Panthers have performed well at Amerant Bank Arena, posting a 6-3 home record heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, the Oilers boast the same 6-3 record on the road and have not lost back-to-back games as the away team yet. 

6:10 p.m.: Both teams have followed the same pattern in Game 1s. The Panthers and Oilers each won Game 1 in the first round, lost the opener in Game 2, and kicked off the conference finals with a win. In the Stanley Cup Final history, teams that win Game 1 have a 75.6% series winning percentage.

What channel is Panthers vs. Oilers on today?

  • TV channel: ABC (U.S.) | Sportsnet, CBC, TVA (Canada)
  • Live stream: Fubo | NordVPN

Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers will air live in the U.S. on ABC. 

In Canada, fans can catch the game on Sportsnet, CBC or TVA. 

Fans hoping to stream the action in the U.S. can do so on Fubo, which offers a free trial. That way, you can try before you buy. 

WATCH THE STANLEY CUP FINAL LIVE ON FUBO.

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If Game 1 of Panthers vs. Oilers is not available to watch live in your location or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device, anywhere in the world. 

WATCH FROM ANYWHERE:Sign up for NordVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)

Panthers vs. Oilers Game 1 start time

  • Date: Saturday, June 8
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET

Game 1 of Panthers vs. Oilers will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8. 

The game will be played at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. 

Panthers vs. Oilers series schedule

DateGame/ResultTime (ET)TV channel
Sat., June 8Game 1: Panthers 3, Oilers 0——
Mon., June 10Game 2: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
Thurs., June 13Game 3: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
Sat., June 15Game 4: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
Tues., June 18*Game 5: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
Fri., June 21*Game 6: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
Mon., June 24*Game 7: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo

* - If necessary 

Author(s)
Bryan Murphy Photo
Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy is an NHL content producer at The Sporting News.