Bobrovsky stymies ‘elite’ Oilers in Game 1 win
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
SUNRISE, Fla. — For the first time in franchise history, the Florida Panthers have a lead in the Stanley Cup Final. They have Sergei Bobrovsky to thank for it.
The Panthers goaltender shut out Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 on Saturday night, 3-0. He took on the Oilers’ explosive scoring talent — and their dominant power play — and stopped all 32 shots he faced, as jubilant Panthers fans chanted “Bobby!” in his honor.
“It’s fun to play against those guys, those elite guys,” Bobrovsky said. “They are a great offensive team. They bring a good challenge.”
There had been 15 previous shutouts in Game 1 of the Cup Final, the last one coming in 2011 by Vancouver Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo, who is now a member of the Panthers’ front office. Bobrovsky is the oldest goalie (35 years, 252 days) to record a shutout in Game 1 of a Cup Final.
The Oilers outshot the Panthers 32-18, including a 12-4 advantage in the first period. For the majority of the 2024 postseason, Bobrovsky hasn’t faced the same kind of shot volume that he did in Florida’s run to the finals last season. That wasn’t the case in Game 1 as the Oilers had 32 shots on 70 shot attempts. He handled the increased shot volume perfectly.
“He’s just been unreal. His preparation is incredible. He’s everything that you want in a teammate and especially a goalie,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “He was there for us tonight.”
Florida built its lead in each period. The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Carter Verhaeghe‘s 10th goal of the postseason at 3:59 of the first period, converting an Aleksander Barkov pass to send the home fans into an early frenzy.
“He’s an unusual performer, that man,” coach Paul Maurice said of Verhaeghe. “He can raise that level of play. I don’t know that I have much to say about it. I don’t know that I fully understand it. That guy’s a gamer.”
Florida made it 2-0 on an Evan Rodrigues goal on a great feed from center Sam Bennett at 2:16 of the second. Then Eetu Luostarinen iced it with an empty-netter in the third period.
Bobrovsky had a series’ worth of highlight-reel saves in Game 1. He stopped breakaway chances from Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the latter on a tremendous pad save. He was there for a McDavid deflection from a Leon Draisaitl pass in the third.
“He’s amazing down low and he’s also amazing up high. It’s hard to beat him. He’s an incredible goalie. He does a great job sealing the ice,” Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner said. “You’ve just got to somehow find a way to score a goal on him. We’ve been playing some top-end goaltenders and it’s never easy to beat these guys.”
The Oilers had an 18-6 advantage in high-danger shot attempts in Game 1. Bobrovsky was poised to handle all of them and handed Edmonton its first shutout of the playoffs.
“Maybe it was the hockey gods getting us back for that Game 6 [against Dallas] where we probably didn’t deserve to win,” McDavid said, referencing the game in which the Oilers were outshot 34-10 but eliminated the Stars for the Western Conference title. “Tonight, maybe we deserved at least one goal, maybe two, and we don’t find a way to get them.”
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said there was a lot to like about his team’s game, but that Edmonton needs to find another level for Game 2.
“We know that we’re going to have to get even better,” he said. “We know that probably wasn’t Florida’s best game. We expect them to be much better. I think they [were] probably caught off guard with you guys talking about how good they were and we didn’t have a chance in this series.”
The most impactful part of Bobrovsky’s Game 1 masterpiece was on the Panthers’ penalty kill. This special teams showdown was expected to be the most critical matchup of the finals: Edmonton’s all-world power play, converting over 37% of its opportunities, against Florida’s penalty kill, second in the playoffs at 88.2% and coming off a conference finals in which it thwarted 14 of 15 New York Rangers power plays.
Bobrovsky made six saves as the backbone of the Panthers’ kill in Game 1.
“There’s nights where you will say that the driver of [the penalty kill] is the players, but tonight the driver of it was Sergei,” Maurice said. “With those elite shooters, you’re not getting through that penalty kill without your goaltender at some point.”
Game 2 is Monday night. Teams that win Game 1 of the finals have gone on to win the series 76% of the time. Each of the past three Cup winners won Game 1.
It was a big victory for the Panthers on Saturday night, thanks to their star goaltender.
“Every win is a big win,” Bobrovsky said. “But it’s a long series. So, we’re going to reset, refocus and get ready for the next fight.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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