If Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final was any indication, Panthers–Oilers II is going to be incredible.

Either way, Edmonton carries a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Max). Will the Oilers notch another W before the series heads cross-continent to South Florida? Or will the “Comeback Cats” strike back to square things up?

Here are notes on the matchup from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More from Game 1: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers
Game 2 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT/Max

Following their win in Game 1, the Oilers are now -225 to win the Stanley Cup, with the Panthers adjusted to +185, per ESPN BET. The top of the Conn Smythe Trophy leaderboard (for MVP of the playoffs) has Edmonton’s Connor McDavid at -175, followed by Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (+375), Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (+450) and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov (+1000).

The winner of Game 1 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final has won 76% of those series (65-20), including the past four and 10 of the past 13.

The Oilers registered 46 shots on goal in Game 1, their most in a Stanley Cup Final game; the previous high was 43 in Game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987.

Florida has scored 51 road goals this postseason, which sets a new Stanley Cup playoffs record, besting the 1993 Los Angeles Kings‘ mark of 49. They are also the first team in NHL history to score three or more goals in nine straight road games in a single postseason.

Draisaitl — who didn’t score at all in the 2024 Cup Final — scored his third overtime goal this postseason, tying the single postseason record held by Mel Hill in 1939, Maurice Richard in 1951, Corey Perry in 2017 and Matthew Tkachuk in 2023.

Defenseman Mattias Ekholm is the 20th different Oilers player with a goal this postseason, tied for third most in a single postseason in Stanley Cup playoff history, and one shy of the mark set by the 2019 Boston Bruins and 1987 Flyers.

Stuart Skinner earned his 26th career playoff win, which breaks a tie with Bill Ranford for second in Oilers history, trailing only Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, with 74.

Florida’s Sam Bennett scored his 11th and 12th goals this postseason, which breaks the Panthers’ single postseason record held by Matthew Tkachuk in 2023 and Carter Verhaeghe in 2024. Eleven of his goals have been on the road this postseason, which ties Mark Scheifele in 2018 for the most road goals in a single postseason all time.

Brad Marchand scored a power-play goal in Game 1. He’s the only player with at least one power-play goal in each of the past eight postseasons.

Bobrovsky made 42 saves in a losing effort, the second-most saves by a Panthers goalie in a Stanley Cup Final game behind John Vanbiesbrouck, who had 55 saves in 1996 Game 4 vs. the Colorado Avalanche (which went to triple overtime).

Scoring leaders

GP: 17 | G: 6 | A: 22

GP: 18 | G: 12 | A: 6

Best bets for Game 2

Sergei Bobrovsky over 24.5 total saves (-110): After stopping 33 of 36 shots in regulation, the Panthers’ starting netminder went on to deny another nine of 10 in the extra frame of an exceptionally lively Game 1. Only two of Edmonton’s 18 skaters failed to register at least one shot on net, with six defenders accounting for a total of 21. Projecting the Oilers to come out firing once more in front of the home crowd at Rogers Place, Bobrovsky should be in for another busy evening. He just needs to stop 25 of them.

Eetu Luostarinen over 3.5 total hits (-134): Through the 16 full games he’s played this postseason, the physical forward is averaging 4.6 hits per contest. Only teammate Sam Bennett is throwing his body around more. After logging more than 21 minutes in Game 1, there’s less concern that the previously banged up Luostarinen is fit enough to wreak such havoc. Plus, no doubt he’ll notice Oilers forward Evander Kane registered nine hits in the opener. That little extra competitive incentive never hurts, especially following a loss.

Corey Perry over 0.5 total points (Even): Maybe the point streak ends at three games. Or perhaps the just-turned 40-year-old will continue to reap the benefits of replacing an injured Zach Hyman on a top line and power play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. — Victoria Matiash

EDMONTON, Alberta — When Matthew Tkachuk looks around Edmonton before a Stanley Cup Final game, he believes the Florida Panthers aren’t just battling the Oilers.

“It’s us against the 20-plus guys you’re playing against, the 20,000 that are in the rink, the 20,000 that are outside the rink. It’s just us against everybody,” he said Thursday. “That’s what makes playing on the road so fun and rewarding when you can get a win.”

Tkachuk’s Panthers trail the Oilers 1-0 in the series after Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton. It was only the third loss on the road in 11 playoff games for the Panthers, who started each of their previous three playoff series away from South Florida.

“We’ve said it a bunch. It’s that ‘us against the world’ mindset, but you especially feel it being down in a series,” Tkachuk said. “Your back’s not necessarily against the wall, but you treat it as a big-time, must-win [game] in a hostile environment. I feel like that’s when we’re at our best. So, hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”

This Stanley Cup Final rematch is already feeling different than last season’s, which saw the Panthers build a 3-0 series lead. While defending champion Florida believes it has improved since last season, Tkachuk noted that this was a different Oilers team than the one the Panthers defeated in seven games.

“I think everybody saw last night, including us, they are a very, very, very good team. They have some dangerous players. Even when their top guys are playing together, they have other lines that can play. That hasn’t always been the case there,” he said. “They defend hard, block shots, their goalie’s playing well. They’re better. We’re better. I think it’s going to be a great series.”

One point of concern for the Panthers after Game 1 was how they squandered a two-goal lead over the Oilers, who rallied to tie the score in the third before Leon Draisaitl’s overtime goal ended it. Florida had been 31-0 under head coach Paul Maurice in the playoffs when leading after the first period or the second period in a game.

“We went through some video and saw the things we can do better through the neutral zone. Maybe a little bit more offensive zone time,” said defenseman Seth Jones. “But they played a good game. They were solid defensively. They blocked a lot of shots. We knew that coming in that there’s not a lot of space out there, not a lot of plays to be made, really. So when we do get those opportunities, we have to try to hold on to the puck and capitalize.”

Tkachuk said the Panthers could be more consistent on the forecheck and earn more zone time to keep the Oilers from counterattacking.

“We did some really good things that we’re going to just have to do for longer stretches of time tomorrow,” Tkachuk said. “They definitely finished better than we did in the game and probably earned that win. They dictated more of the game than we did. It is what it is. Back to the drawing board. Just try to play better than them tomorrow.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in Edmonton. The winner of Game 1 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final has won the series 76% of the time. The Game 1 winner has won 10 of the past 13 Stanley Cup Final series, including the past four.

The Boston Bruins announced Thursday that they’ve hired Marco Sturm as their head coach, a move that now means every NHL team has a bench boss in place for next season.

Sturm was one of the names who had been long connected with the Bruins, among other teams, in a cycle in which up to eight franchises were seeking a head coach.

He becomes the third coach the Bruins have had since November, when they fired current St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery. The Bruins fired Montgomery after winning eight of their first 20 games, elevating then-assistant Joe Sacco, who was named interim coach for the rest of the season.

Marco’s coming home.

Marco Sturm has been named the 30th head coach in #NHLBruins history.

📰: https://t.co/9jsQamgTRV pic.twitter.com/DUgwnisbHR

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 5, 2025

Sacco, who had been an assistant since the 2014-15 season, took over a team that finished 33-39-10 and was tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference. It was also the first time the Bruins missed the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

There was no indication in the Bruins’ statement about Sturm as to whether Sacco would remain with the franchise.

“Throughout this process, our goal was to identify a coach who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “We were also looking for a communicator and leader — someone who connects with players, develops young talent, and earns the respect of the room. Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion.”

A veteran of 938 NHL games, Sturm played five of his 15 seasons with the Bruins from 2005 through 2010. He had four 20-goal campaigns for the Bruins in a career that saw him play an instrumental role in helping establish a pipeline of German players to the NHL.

Sturm is Germany’s career leader in NHL games played and is second in points behind Edmonton Oilers superstar center and Hart Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl.

Sturm retired after the 2012-13 season in Germany and transitioned to the next step in 2015-16 when he became the general manager for Germany’s under-20 men’s national team and the head coach for the men’s senior national team. Sturm guided the Nationalmannschaft to a silver medal at the 2018 Olympic Games. It was the first time since 1976 that a German men’s team made the gold medal game and appeared on the podium.

Sturm’s work with Germany led to him becoming an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings. He served in that role for three seasons until the 2022-23 season in which he was named the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

Sturm, who is 46, guided the Reign to the playoffs in every season with the club. He led them to a 43-win season, the most they’ve had under Sturm, before they were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs.

Now that they have a coach in place, the Bruins can move on to other areas they must address. PuckPedia projects they’ll have $26.2 million in salary cap space to improve upon a team that was 28th in goals per game, was seventh in terms of most goals allowed per game, and had a power play in the bottom five that matched a penalty kill that was in the bottom 10.

“I’m incredibly honored to be named head coach of the Boston Bruins,” Sturm said in a statement. “I want to thank [Bruins CEO and alternate governor] Charlie Jacobs and the Jacobs family, [team president] Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney for trusting me with this opportunity. Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans. I’ve felt that passion as a player, and I can’t wait to be behind the bench and feel it again.”