Oilers vs. Panthers, Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final: Instant reaction

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday to win their first Stanley Cup championship.

Here are some immediate takeaways from the game by NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers:

Star of the game

Sergei Bobrovsky had some shaky moments over the past three games, but he was rock-solid for the Panthers in Game 7. The goaltender made 23 saves, including some memorable ones, to win the first Stanley Cup of his career. We’ll get into one of his biggest saves (or two, really) below.

Goal of the game

That goes to Sam Reinhart. Credit defenseman Dmitry Kulikov at the other end for clearing a puck after a Bobrovsky save, but Reinhart was there to beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner with what proved to be the game-winning goal at 15:11 of the second period.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky had a few great moments, but his best came during a heart-stopping sequence with 7:02 remaining in the third. The goaltender went into a split to make a save on Oilers captain Connor McDavid’s attempted tip-in shot from the doorstep. Then, Bobrovsky got over to prevent Oilers forward Zach Hyman from scoring on the rebound.