2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final: Winners and losers from Game 1, including Sergei Bobrovsky

Sergei Bobrovsky shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final with a 24-save performance. Two weeks later, in the Stanley Cup Final opening game, he shut out the high-octane Oilers with a 32-save performance. Talk about setting the tone. He was brilliant from start to finish, including making three breakaway saves to protect the Panthers lead. Named as the game’s No. 1 star, he’s provided Florida with the elite goaltending they need to inch closer to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship.

Stuart Skinner had spent the entire playoffs proving the doubters wrong, especially in the Western Conference Final when he outdueled Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars. However, in Game 1 of the most important series of his career, he gave up two easy goals on the first five shots he faced, putting the Oilers in a deep hole they never dug out of. Although it is only one game, Skinner finished the night with a .882 save percentage, a number he must improve if Edmonton has any chance in the series. To his credit, Skinner didn’t completely break down and stood tall, allowing just one goal the rest of the way. But he was thoroughly outplayed by Bobrovsky.

Paul Maurice has led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons. In Game 1, his brilliance was on full display. As he continues chasing his first championship, his systems, structure, and lineup adjustments have gotten him to within three games of that goal. Having been in this same position a year ago, he’s put the Panthers in a far more comfortable spot in 2024, and despite his players getting outplayed in the first period, they stuck with the system that got them this far. That indicates that the players believe in their coach.

Kris Knoblauch turned the Oilers season around when he was hired in November, molding them into, arguably, the best team for the remainder of the NHL regular season. However, countless times, he’s reverted to pairing his least successful defensemen together, Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci, who just happened to be on the ice for the first two Florida goals. If Knoblauch still needs to learn his lesson by the Stanley Cup Final, it’s too late. Ultimately, those in-game decisions led to desperation to get on the board in the final minutes, overworking his five best players on the ice for almost three minutes.

Heading into the Stanley Cup Final, all eyes were on Connor McDavid, the best player in the world appearing in his first Cup Final series. However, one of the lesser-talked players is the Selke Trophy winner, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. In Game 1, he was a force defensively and set up Carter Verhaeghe’s opening goal and dished the puck to Eetu Luostarinen for an empty-net tally. McDavid had his chances in the battle of captains, but that’s all he got. Barkov was more impactful on both ends of the ice.

Nurse makes $9.25 million and is looked to be the Oilers top defenseman. Through 19 games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he is a staggering minus-15, the only skater in 2024 to be in the double digits on the minus side. And his Game 1 performance was not pretty. He was on the ice for each of Florida’s first two goals, blowing his coverage on Evan Rodrigues’ second-period tally. With only three points thus far, he needs to contribute more offensively and is a liability defensively, which puts Knoblauch in a challenging position regarding Nurse’s role.

Sam Bennett picked up an assist in Game 1 and won 80 percent of his face-offs. However, that’s not the only impact he had in the contest. Among all skaters in Game 1, Bennett was the only one to register double-digit hits, finishing with 11. One of his most significant collisions occurred in the first period when he rocked McDavid, who sported a bandage on his chin for the remainder of the night. Even though that particular hit was accidental, he was a pest all night and never missed an opportunity to wear down any Edmonton player.

Before this gets taken the wrong way, McDavid was the only bright spot for the Oilers in Game 1. He led the team in shots (six) and played two minutes less than defenseman Evan Bouchard, 27:17-25:19. The only reason why McDavid makes the “loser” list is because he ran into a brick wall on Saturday. Not only did Bobrovsky rob him several times, but anytime he grabbed the puck, the Panthers descended upon him and close his time and space. McDavid has averaged almost two points per game (1.72) in the playoffs and was held pointless in his first career Stanley Cup Final game. Ultimately, he must adjust because he has yet to face a playoff opponent like the Panthers.

The Colorado Avalanche swept the Panthers in their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1996, and last season, the Vegas Golden Knights were on the verge of repeating that until a Game 3 overtime victory gave the Panthers their lone victory in that championship series. On Saturday night, the franchise took its first-ever series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, rewarding its fans with its best performance in the Final. Through hard work, great players, and brilliant goaltending, the Panthers are only 180 game minutes away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Game 1 had some questionable calls, or lack thereof, despite the two NHL officials (Dan O’Rourke and Steve Kozari) picked for the contest considered to be the best of the best. However, they missed a blatant boarding call in the first period that busted Oliver Ekman-Larsson open, same for a high stick on McDavid that cut his chin. Meanwhile, at some point, the officials blew the play down — for a high stick — when it looked like Edmonton had seven skaters on the ice. Meanwhile, in the second period, the fans got excited when Zach Hyman pushed Bobrovsky into the net, and Connor Brown poked a covered puck into the net. Each team did not connect on their man advantage, going a combined 0-for-5, and things never got out of hand, but it appeared the whistles were in pockets, so hopefully, that set the tone for the series, or it could get messy later with the lack of penalties called.