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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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Florida freshman WR Wilson to debut vs. Texas

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Florida freshman WR Wilson to debut vs. Texas

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has offensive help on the way with a freshman receiver who just might make a difference against No. 9 Texas on Saturday.

Dallas Wilson is practicing for the first time since injuring his left foot in training camp and is scheduled to make his collegiate debut against the Longhorns, coach Billy Napier said Monday.

Napier called Wilson’s availability “a big deal.”

“Three good days of work last week, and I thought he handled the load well,” Napier said. “He feels really good. So far, so good.”

Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 213-pound newcomer from Tampa, was the star of Florida’s spring game in April. He caught 10 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, and all indications in fall practice pointed to it not being a fluke.

But Wilson injured his foot late in camp, spent weeks in a protective boot and watched from afar as the Gators (1-3, 0-1 SEC) struggled to move the ball and find the end zone. Florida scored 16, 10 and 7 points, respectively, in consecutive losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami, raising speculation about Napier’s future in Gainesville.

Quarterback DJ Lagway has been the focus of the team’s offensive woes. The sophomore who went 6-1 as a starter last season missed most of the year dealing with injuries and looked rusty when the season began.

Although Lagway’s mechanics seemed improved in the team’s 26-7 setback at Miami on Sept. 20, his offensive line got manhandled and allowed way too much pressure for anyone to notice. Lagway completed 12 of 23 passes for 61 yards against the Hurricanes.

Napier used the off week to get Lagway more live-action reps in hopes of getting him “caught up.” But he also reiterated the need to “play better around him.”

“Each position group needs to step up,” Napier said. “More detail, eliminate errors, eliminate penalties, whatever the case may be. I just think more detail and better overall play around him. And, obviously, he needs to continue to get back closer to being himself.”

Adding Wilson to the mix should help.

The Gators haven’t shown much depth at receiver. Freshman Vernell Brown III has been Lagway’s go-to guy, catching 18 passes for 219 yards. But Eugene Wilson III, J. Michael Sturdivant and Aidan Mizell have been mostly underwhelming.

Dallas Wilson has been unable to help — until now. The Gators are confident he will change the narrative against the No. 1 scoring defense in the SEC.

“Just having him out is going to be amazing for us,” Lagway said. “His ability to go deep, his ability to make plays underneath and be able to make miraculous plays with the ball in his hands, it’s going to be great to have him back.”

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Finebaum mulls leaving ESPN for U.S. Senate run

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Finebaum mulls leaving ESPN for U.S. Senate run

SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said Monday that he would consider leaving ESPN to run for the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama.

The 70-year-old Finebaum said during a recent interview with Outkick that he’d run as a Republican to fill the seat vacated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who has said he’ll run for Alabama governor in the 2026 elections. Tuberville’s current Senate term ends in 2027.

The qualifying deadline to run for Senate is Jan. 26, 2026. Finebaum said he would likely have to leave his hosting and analyst duties if he decided to run. He told Outkick he’d make a decision within the next 30-45 days.

Finebaum said he hadn’t seriously considered politics, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk was the impetus to give a run at politics further thought. He noted that he had received a “text” from “one or two people in Washington” gauging his interest in politics.

“[It was] something I never thought about before,” Finebaum told Outkick.

Finebaum is currently registered as a Republican in North Carolina, where he works for the SEC Network. He told Outkick he recently moved to Alabama, where he hosted a radio show for years, and would re-register there.

Finebaum hosted radio shows in Alabama for almost 30 years before joining ESPN and the SEC Network. He started his media career as a newspaper writer and columnist.

“Alabama has always been the place I’ve felt the most welcome, that I’ve cared the most about the people,” he said. “I’ve spoken to people from Alabama for 35 years, and I feel there is a connection that is hard to explain.”

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Petrino overhauls staff, fires defensive assistants

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Petrino overhauls staff, fires defensive assistants

Bobby Petrino has fired three defensive assistants just one day after being named interim head coach at Arkansas as part of an overhaul of the Razorbacks’ coaching staff.

Petrino dismissed defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and defensive assistant Marcus Woodson in the latest moves after being appointed interim coach for the rest of the season to replace Sam Pittman, who was fired Sunday following five-plus seasons as Arkansas’ head coach.

“I just felt like how we performed on Saturday gave me an indication that maybe Sam had lost the team a little bit because they generally had played really hard for him throughout his tenure,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said of the move, which came on the heels of a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame.

Petrino, 64, returned to Arkansas in 2023 as offensive coordinator after serving in a number of jobs. In four years as the Razorbacks’ head coach, he went 34-17, including consecutive seasons with double-digit victories in 2010 and 2011.

“Coach Petrino, as we met yesterday, he accepted this opportunity with the understanding that he also wanted an opportunity to formally be a candidate for our head coaching position, and he will have that opportunity, but we’ll also subsequently run a search for our next head coach at the same time,” Yurachek said.

Pittman’s dismissal, Petrino’s temporary promotion and the defensive assistant dismissals weren’t the only changes. Chris Wilson was named the team’s interim defensive coordinator.

Petrino had high praise for Wilson, who was in his first year with the Razorbacks as an assistant defensive line coach.

“My experience [with Wilson] goes way back to having to battle against him when he had all the great defensive linemen at Mississippi State,” Petrino said. “Very, very impressed with what he’s done throughout his career. Guy’s got a Super Bowl ring. He brings a lot of credibility into the room.”

Several defensive players posted cryptic messages on social media following the firing of Williams, who had served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2023. Yurachek and Petrino encouraged players to welcome change amid a 2-3 start to the season.

“The No. 1 thing is, you have to get used to change. You know, your whole life there’s going to be change. So how we handle that, our attitude on how we handle that, will determine how quickly we improve,” Petrino said.

Petrino was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in April 2012 that left him with four broken ribs. At first, he said he was riding alone, but a police report revealed a woman was riding with him. The woman turned out to be a former Arkansas athlete who was in a romantic relationship with the married Petrino. The coach had given her a job in the football program and a $20,000 gift.

Petrino was fired by then-athletic director Jeff Long for misleading his bosses about what happened with the accident and his relationship with the football staffer.

Pittman, 63, went 32-34 with the Razorbacks.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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