Panthers Win Recreation 2 vs. McDavid, Oilers as NHL Followers Hype Evan Rodrigues’ Late Targets

The Florida Panthers are two wins away from their first Stanley Cup title in franchise historical past.

Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 in Monday’s Recreation 2 of the Stanley Cup Remaining at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment to take a commanding 2-0 lead within the collection. Niko Mikkola opened the scoring for the victors within the second interval and Aaron Ekblad completed it with an empty-netter within the third, nevertheless it was Evan Rodrigues who performed the function of hero.

Rodrigues scored the go-ahead aim and an insurance coverage aim within the third interval, which was sufficient for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Whereas Bobrovsky did not need to do as a lot as he did in Recreation 1, he nonetheless completed with 18 saves on 19 photographs on aim and stuffed Connor McDavid on a late breakaway menace.

It was fairly the save, nevertheless it was Rodrigues who drew probably the most love from social media:

Florida had all of the momentum coming into Monday’s contest after Bobrovsky notched 32 saves in a shutout win in Recreation 1, and it appeared like it might be extra of the identical out of the gates when Oilers ahead Warren Foegele obtained a significant penalty and a recreation misconduct for kneeing Eetu Luostarinen.

Nonetheless, the Panthers’ prolonged energy play was short-lived because of a penalty by defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Edmonton took full benefit of the four-on-four with Mattias Ekholm’s aim, which was the primary time the Western Convention champions bested Bobrovsky within the collection.

They did not put a lot stress on the veteran goaltender after that, although, because the Oilers managed simply seven photographs on aim via the primary two durations. The Panthers managed a lot of the play and created much more alternatives, and it was solely a matter of time earlier than they capitalized.

Capitalize they did when Mikkola scored a uncommon aim from his defensive place to tie the sport shortly after practically placing an personal aim into the fallacious internet, though Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner stored it tied heading to the third interval because of a lot of necessary saves as Florida continued to push ahead.

Skinner might solely accomplish that a lot with Edmonton struggling to create probabilities, and Rodrigues buried the go-ahead aim early within the third interval and put much more stress on McDavid and Co. to generate something on the opposite finish.

Rodrigues was removed from executed and buried an insurance coverage aim throughout an influence play to provide the house workforce some respiration room within the closing minutes that they solely expanded on with the empty-netter.

In consequence, the Oilers could have their backs to the wall when the collection shifts to Edmonton for Thursday’s Recreation 3.