Florida Panthers cruise, take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. — After two video games within the Stanley Cup Last, each Florida Panthers ahead Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Niko Mikkola have scored extra objectives than Edmonton Oilers stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman — mixed.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead within the collection on Monday night time with a 4-1 win over the Oilers that was powered by two unsung members of their supporting forged. Rodrigues scored twice, giving him three objectives within the Last. Mikkola scored a important objective to tie the rating within the second interval for less than the second playoff objective of his profession.

“It is particular. You attempt to embrace it, attempt to keep within the second. It is two huge wins for our workforce. And I believe we have already turned the web page and we’re preparing for Sport 3,” Rodrigues stated.

Florida coach Paul Maurice watched one other good defensive effort from his workforce by not permitting something in opposition to the heralded Edmonton energy play, not yielding a single high-danger shot try at 5-on-5, retaining Edmonton’s stars with no objective and counting on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (18 saves) to be the final line of protection.

However when Maurice wanted objectives, Rodrigues and Mikkola offered them.

“We play tight video games. We have all the time performed tight, onerous video games. We do not essentially rating simply. That is not a operate of ability or expertise,” the coach stated.

Rodrigues, 30, is a nine-year NHL veteran who signed a four-year, $12 million cope with the Panthers as a free agent final summer season. An analytics darling throughout his profession with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche, he had 12 objectives and 27 assists in 80 video games for the Panthers this season.

His objective in Sport 1 was a one-timer previous netminder Stuart Skinner, arrange by a go from behind the web by middle Sam Bennett, that constructed a 2-0 lead for the Panthers.

Sport 2 began with Rodrigues delivering a punishing hit on the forecheck in opposition to Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who instantly grabbed his aspect in discomfort simply 4 shifts into the sport. Nurse would return within the second interval, however he had solely three shifts for the remainder of the night time.

Rodrigues’ first objective in Sport 2 got here at 3:11 of the third interval to snap a 1-1 tie — and it was a rating which may have been linked to Nurse’s harm.

Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard performed 30:40 in Sport 2 as a result of Nurse was damage. The usually regular defenseman made a evident mistake, nevertheless, making an attempt to clear the puck from the Edmonton zone solely to have it land immediately on the stick blade of Rodrigues.

“I acquired in on the forecheck. Tried to make a play. Virtually acquired myself in just a little little bit of a pickle attempting to look to make a play versus transferring my toes,” Rodrigues stated. “Then the puck got here again to me, and I wasn’t making that mistake once more. So, I simply form of fired it on web, and it went via a pair legs. Clearly, actually completely happy to see it go in.”

His second objective got here on the facility play at 12:26 of the third interval. Bouchard once more was victimized, this time by an Anton Lundell go to Rodrigues, who tipped the puck previous Skinner for a important insurance coverage objective.

That ended a streak of 34 straight profitable penalty kills for the Oilers, tied with the 2001 St. Louis Blues for the third-longest such streak in Stanley Cup playoffs historical past.

Rodrigues turned the primary participant in Panthers historical past with a multiple-goal sport within the Stanley Cup Last. His three objectives within the Last equals his whole via the primary three rounds this yr.

His efficiency earned Rodrigues time on the Panthers’ high line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, as winger Carter Verhaeghe “form of wants to vary your handle each on occasion,” Maurice stated.

Rodrigues additionally obtained accolades from his teammates.

“So good, so completely happy for him. Happy with him. He reads the sport so effectively. He is a brilliant sensible participant, and I am actually completely happy to see him get rewarded proper now,” winger Matthew Tkachuk stated.

Ahead Kyle Okposo provided his take.

“I believe he is a little bit of a chameleon,” he stated of Rodrigues. “I believe in the event you have a look at the groups that he is performed on and who he is performed with, it is not a simple factor to go play with among the high gamers on the earth.”

As for Mikkola, his game-tying objective was fairly an journey.

The 6-foot-4 defenseman had the puck in his personal zone with Edmonton’s Evander Kane bearing down on him. Mikkola spun round and flung the puck — however immediately at his personal goaltender, Bobrovsky, who alertly knocked it away. Mikkola shook his head to acknowledge the blunder then skated up the ice.

“I attempted to do defenseman-to-defenseman go. Bobby was awake, which was good for us,” stated Mikkola, drawing laugher after the sport. “And the remainder was good.”

Moments later, Lundell stickhandled within the Oilers’ zone and dropped a go to a trailing Mikkola, who blasted a one-timer previous Skinner to tie the rating 1-1.

“Even when we had been down one objective, everyone was calm and trusting the method,” Mikkola stated. “I used to be just a little fortunate. Obtained the one via.”

Mikkola, 28, was one other free agent coup for normal supervisor Invoice Zito after signing a three-year, $7.5 million deal. Virtually a yr later, he’s a serious motive the Panthers are up 2-0 within the Stanley Cup Last.

Sport 3 is about for Thursday in Edmonton.

Because the Stanley Cup Last first went to a seven-game format in 1939, solely 5 groups have come again to win the Cup after dropping the primary two contests.