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EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers swore things would be different in their Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers. They proved it in Game 1 with an impressive comeback and a 4-3 overtime win.

Last year, the Panthers took a 3-0 series lead that started with a shutout win. The Oilers were in uncharted territory, while Florida was playing in its second straight Final. Having gone through the experience of last season — and the heartbreak of losing in Game 7 — the Oilers were confident and poised before star center Leon Draisaitl‘s power-play goal with 31 seconds left in OT earned them the 1-0 series lead.

“It’s huge. Obviously when you look back at it, if we get one win right away, it’s a completely different story [last season],” said goalie Stuart Skinner, who was solid again with 30 saves Wednesday night. “I think the way that we showed up right from the get-go, and the way that we continued to keep on going even though we were down by two, that shows a lot of character by us.”

The mindset was clear even before the game. Skinner remembered feeling overwhelmed when the Stanley Cup trophy was presented on the ice before the first game last year. This time, when the Cup made its cameo, Skinner said he felt completely different.

“When I saw the Cup on the ice last year, I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes,” he acknowledged. “This year, I saw it already. So now it’s time to get back to work. It felt completely different emotionally.”

The Oilers took a 1-0 lead just 1:06 into the game thanks to a furious forecheck by Draisaitl. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had trouble with a shot from inside the point. Draisaitl was there to shoot home the rebound for an early lead.

The game took a turn just after the midway point of the first when a Carter Verhaeghe shot deflected off of Panthers center Sam Bennett and behind Skinner. Replays showed that Bennett’s leg made contact with that of Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak before he fell into the crease.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch opted to use his coach’s challenge for goalie interference. After a brief review, the officials confirmed it was a good goal at 10:49 of the first and Edmonton was given a delay-of-game penalty.

Brad Marchand scored a power-play goal at 12:30, roofing the puck to Skinner’s left, for the 2-1 lead.

Ironically, the turning point of the Oilers’ postseason involved a failed coach’s challenge. In Game 3 against Los Angeles, trailing the series 2-0, Kings coach Jim Hiller challenged the game-tying goal by Edmonton, which scored the game-winning goal 10 seconds into their ensuing power play.

“I challenged that any day,” Knoblauch said. “I feel what I’ve seen the NHL with goalie interference, I had a lot of confidence in challenge.”

Bennett extended the lead to 3-1 just two minutes into the second period, before Viktor Arvidsson answered 1:17 later.

The score remained that until 13:27 of the third period when Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm blasted a shot past Bobrovsky to knot it up 3-3. It was Ekholm’s first goal of the playoffs, having missed 15 postseason games with an injury. McDavid floated a pass through the crease to set up Ekholm.

In overtime, the Panthers skated out on fire, pressuring Skinner. But one critical mistake led to Draisaitl’s game-winner. With 1:42 left, forward Tomas Nosek put the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty. Florida entered the game with the best penalty kill in the playoffs (87.9%) until Draisaitl’s goal.

Florida coach Paul Maurice defended his fourth-line center whose mistake ended up costing the Panthers Game 1.

“We’re not here without Tomas Nosek. He gets a tough break. So we’ll just make sure he doesn’t need alone tonight. He’s got lots of people sitting on his table and reminding him how good he’s been to us,” Maurice said.

As for Draisaitl, his game winner continued a dominant postseason. He’s second to McDavid (28) in points (27) in the playoffs. This was his third OT goal of the playoffs, tying an NHL record for most in a single postseason with Mel Hill in 1939, Maurice Richard in 1951, his Oilers teammate Corey Perry in 2017 and Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk in 2023.

Draisaitl is the fourth player ever to score an overtime power-play goal in the Stanley Cup Final since 1934, when goals by type were first officially tracked.

McDavid, who assisted on Draisaitl’s game winner, had nothing but praise for his teammate.

“He’s invaluable. There’s so many good things. You name it, he does it. He doesn’t get enough respect or credit for his defensive abilities,” McDavid said. “There’s not many better. Maybe nobody better.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in Edmonton.

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Rays option Bradley to minors after rough start

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Rays option Bradley to minors after rough start

The Tampa Bay Rays optioned Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham following a poor start for the inconsistent right-hander Wednesday night.

Handed a 4-0 lead against the Chicago White Sox, Bradley gave up four runs in the second and didn’t get through the inning as Chicago went on to an 11-9 victory in Tampa, Florida. He allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in the frame.

Bradley, once a top pitching prospect, didn’t factor into the decision and his record on the season remained 6-6, while his ERA moved to 4.61. The 24-year-old has struggled with consistency; he entered Wednesday’s start having allowed just one run in his previous two starts but had surrendered at least five runs in four of his six starts before that.

“Tough decision certainly, but felt like it’s best for him to get down there right now,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the game. “It’s probably a better environment (in Triple A) for him to work, rather than compete every single pitch.

“But know that Taj Bradley is massive to our success, and we need to get him back to the form we know he’s capable of.”

Cash said Bradley handled the news “like a pro” and will work to regain command of his secondary pitches such as his changeup and slider at Durham.

“I just talked to him and said there’s been a lot of good and there has been some not-so good,” Cash said. “Inconsistencies are tough to do at this level at any time of the season, but certainly with where we’re at right now.”

The Rays have scuffled over the last month and sit at 53-50, good for fourth place in the AL East.

Bradley has been mentioned as a potential trade target ahead of the July 31 deadline. The Rays have room to move at least one starting pitcher, and teams have identified the righty — who doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2029 season — as the likeliest of those with team control to go.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Ohtani ties Dodgers’ mark with HR in 5th straight

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Ohtani ties Dodgers' mark with HR in 5th straight

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani homered for the fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year.

Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered off Minnesota starter Chris Paddack in the first inning of a 4-3 victory against the Twins. Ohtani hit a slow curveball 441 feet to center, carrying the bat midway down the first-base line before doing a bat flip.

It was Ohtani’s MLB-leading 46th career home of at least 440 feet since entering the majors in 2018. Three of those have come in the past week.

This is the seventh time in Dodgers history that a player has homered in five consecutive games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Green and Roy Campanella in that club.

Ohtani extended his franchise record for the most home runs before Aug. 1. It’s also the most home runs by any National League player before that date since 2001, when the Giants‘ Barry Bonds (45) and the Diamondbacks‘ Luis Gonzalez (41) had each surpassed 40.

Ohtani, a three-time MVP, is batting .276 with 70 RBIs. He has also pitched well in six games and is scheduled to throw four innings on Monday in Cincinnati as he is getting close in his buildup as a starter, coming back from his second right UCL repair surgery.

With an off day on Thursday, Ohtani’s next chance to see if he can homer in six consecutive games will be against the Red Sox in Boston.

The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.

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Pasquantino: Want Lugo to stay in Royals blue

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Pasquantino: Want Lugo to stay in Royals blue

CHICAGO — Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino started pointing toward the locker of teammate Seth Lugo after their 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Lugo, 35, had just pitched six solid innings in sweltering heat, leading Kansas City to its 50th win of the season.

“I’d like to see him pitch for us again,” Pasquantino said while pointing. “I’d really like to see him in a Royals jersey in his next start. We’re trying to make that happen. That’s up to us.”

The Royals are one of the bubble teams in the American League, having picked up some ground on the wild-card leaders after taking two of three from the Cubs. But they are still three games under .500 as the MLB trade deadline approaches next week. Lugo would be an attractive player for another team, as he is set to become a free agent, assuming he turns down his player option for next season.

Kansas City should do well in a trade if it chooses to move him. Lugo’s ERA sits at 2.95 after he gave up two runs in his six innings Wednesday.

“His name is prevalent, especially here [Chicago],” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before the game. “I’m aware of that. We talked about it openly, understanding we like what we have here. We believe if we can string some good games together, we can get back in this thing.”

If they can’t get back in it, the Cubs are among the teams expected to be interested in Lugo’s services. Their starting pitching after top guys Shota Imanaga and All-Star Matthew Boyd is suspect. Righty Colin Rea gave up three home runs Wednesday, two to Pasquantino. Lugo easily outpitched him, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out six on an extremely hitter-friendly day at Wrigley Field. The wind was blowing out, but Lugo kept the ball in the park.

Afterward, he was asked how he keeps his mind focused considering the rumors swirling around him.

“You don’t think about it,” he said. “You worry about the start. That’s it.”

Lugo was pleased to hear Pasquantino go to bat for him. He said he’d rather stay and win with the Royals than be shipped out.

“I want to be here through the thick and thin,” he said. “It’s a good team. We just have to be more consistent and we’ll be all right.”

Kansas City has hovered around the .500 mark all season but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the wild-card race. The win Wednesday drew the Royals within four games of the final wild-card spot but with four teams to overcome.

Quatraro waved off the trade talk, citing the unpredictability of the season after the deadline. No matter what his front office does, he wants his team to continue to push.

“You can add to your team and not play as well,” he said. “You can subtract from your team and play better. Or you can stay status quo and get hot.”

Pasquantino added: “It’s a business. Teams have to make business decisions, but as far as I’m concerned, I want [Lugo] in Royals blue for the rest of the season.”

After a day off Thursday, the Royals begin a homestand that will take them through the deadline on July 31. Lugo would be in line to start against the Atlanta Braves next week before the deadline, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll take the mound as scheduled.

“Start today,” he said. “Off day tomorrow, and it’s back to work after that. Control what I can control. Go about my routine. Go about my business.”

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