Oilers vs. Panthers, Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final: Instant reaction

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday. The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 2-0.

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

Star of the game

That honor goes to Evan Rodrigues, who scored twice for the Florida Panthers, including the game-winner, in the third period. Rodrigues, who is playing in the second Cup Final game of his career, now has four points in his past three games. He also had two hits and three takeaways in Game 2.

Goal of the game

Both of Rodrigues’ goals were good, but we’ll go with the second one, which came on the power play at 12:26 of the third. Rodrigues was skating by and had a slick redirection of Anton Lundell’s pass (or shot on goal) to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead.

Save of the game

Sergei Bobrovsky made a big save on an Oilers power play at 14:57 of the second period, blocking a shot from forward Leon Draisaitl, who shot from the bottom of the right circle. The Panthers goalie wasn’t too busy until the third period, when he made 12 saves. He had 18 for the game.

What’s next

The series will move to Edmonton, where the Oilers will host the Panthers in Game 3 at Rogers Place on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC).