A really tough trick from Edmonton – Kasperi Kapanen shines

The Edmonton Oilers won the inaugural final.

The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals got off to a roaring start. The Edmonton Oilers pulled off a close opening final with a 4–3 victory in the first overtime period.

The deciding goal was scored in the final minute of the first overtime period by Leon Draisaitl, who scored the first and last goal of the match.

Florida’s trusted forward Tomas Nosek threw the puck into the stands in overtime and received a two-minute penalty, which the Oilers did not fail to take advantage of.

The German star shot the puck into the goal from a pass from his radar partner Connor McDavid.

McDavid (0+2), who was out of action in the first two periods of the game, emerged in the final period as a goal-chasing player as the Oilers sought an equalizer.

The best player in the world passed the puck to the backswing, and Mattias Ekholm loaded the puck into the net, tying the game at 3–3.

The final set was a survival battle for the Panthers, and the Oilers dominated the game. The home team took shots by a huge margin: 14–2.

The Panthers, known as an excellent lead team, let the Oilers go from a two-goal lead to a draw and eventually pass.

Kapanen shone

One of the home team’s key players in the game was Kasperi Kapanen. The Kuopio native assisted on the Oilers’ first and third goals. He was active throughout the game and made five tackles, among other things.

Kapanen came close to deciding the entire game when he shot the puck through the post in the 1st overtime period.

The game started in the best possible way for the home team, the Oilers. Draisaitl scored a loose puck after Sergei Bobrovsky blocked it with just 66 seconds left in the game.

Kapanen received the first assist for the opening goal of the final series when he chipped the puck into Bobrovsky’s defense in front of the goal, after which Draisaitl was able to enjoy the fruits of the Finnish labor.

The opening period was all Oilers-style, but the visitors were still on the scoreboard.

Panthers’ scrappy center Sam Bennett fumbled in front of the goal, opening up a spot for Carter Verhaeghe to tie the game at 10:49.

The Florida team’s dominance, which began with a cough, succeeded less than two minutes later, when Brad Marchand controlled the puck into the goal with the game clock showing 12:30.

In the second set, the reigning champion turned the tables on its head and dominated the set.

The reward came right at the start of the second period, when Bennett nailed his second half-pass of the night.

Just one minute and 17 seconds later, Viktor Arvidsson shot the Oilers’ goal with a good shot from behind the mask.

Ekholm tied the game in the final period, and the Oilers stretched the game into overtime, where the German scare decided the game.

The second final will be played the night before Saturday Finnish time. The second final will also be played in Edmonton.