Oilers’ Connor McDavid points to ‘hockey gods’ after brutal Game 1 loss

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers could not pick up the win in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They outshot the Florida Panthers by a wide margin on Saturday night. However, the Panthers received an elite performance in goal from Sergei Bobrovsky. As a result, Edmonton is down early in the series.

Following the game, McDavid spoke to the media. As expected, he was asked to comment on the unfortunate loss in Game 1. The Oilers superstar suggested that his team received a bit of karma. He referenced their play in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars.

“Maybe it was the hockey gods getting us back for that Game 6 where we probably didn’t deserve to win,” McDavid said, via Sportsnet. “Tonight, maybe we deserved at least one goal or maybe two goals and we don’t find a way to get them.”

Connor McDavid, Oilers fall in Game 1

McDavid and the Oilers pressured the Panthers early on Saturday night. But Bobrovsky stood tall to keep the Panthers in it. As it turns out, all Florida needed was one shot to find the back of the net. Carter Verhaeghe scored his 10th goal of the playoffs to give his team the lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

In the second period, Edmonton again did everything they could to score. Unfortunately for them, they could not come up with a needed goal. However, the Panthers found the back of the net early in the period. Evan Rodrigues scored after a defensive lapse from the Oilers after a dump and chase.

The third period saw the Oilers play better defensively. They kept up their offensive pressure and limited the chances the Panthers saw in the final frame. But, once again, they failed to solve Bobrovsky. He kept McDavid and the Oilers out of the net. After a late empty net goal, the Panthers celebrated just their second win in a Stanley Cup Final series in franchise history.

Oilers look to bounce back

Edmonton and Connor McDavid certainly wanted to put a better foot forward on Saturday night. This game marked their first Stanley Cup Final game since 2006. They haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1990. And teams who win the first game of the Final historically go on to win it a vast majority of the time.

However, it’s disingenuous to say that the Oilers played terribly in Game 1. As mentioned, they had the vast majority of chances. On another day, McDavid’s team likely would have scored three or four goals. They simply ran into a goaltender playing out of his mind when it mattered most.

Edmonton had breakaway chances multiple times in this contest. Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Connor Brown notably had pristine scoring chances. If they can figure out how to capitalize on those chances, the Oilers will certainly find themselves back in this series.

McDavid seemed confident after the game that his team would find its way back. “This group will stick with it, bounce back, that’s what we take a lot of pride in doing,” he said, via Sportsnet. “We’ll gear up for a big one on Monday.”

As McDavid mentioned, Game 2 takes place on Monday night. The Oilers once again hit the ice in front of the Florida crowd against the Panthers. And it’ll certainly be interesting to see if Edmonton can tie the series at a game apiece before the series shifts to Western Canada for Games 3 and 4.

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