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Panthers’ Sam Bennett makes brutal admission on blowing Game 1 vs. Oilers
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- Panthers’ Sam Bennett makes brutal admission on blowing Game 1 vs. Oilers
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The post Panthers' Sam Bennett makes brutal admission on blowing Game 1 vs. Oilers appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Florida Panthers lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Edmonton Oilers , 4-3 in overtime. After Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand scored to give the Panthers the lead . When Florida entered the second period with a lead in the regular season, they were 25-4-0. But the Oilers punched back, tying the game in the third and winning in overtime.
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Bennett spoke with The Athletic about the Panthers ' inability to close this game .
"We've been really good all year at not sitting back with the lead," Bennett said. "And for whatever reason, we sat back a little bit."
Bennett tied the game in the first period and pushed the game to 3-1 early in the second period. But Viktor Arvidsson closed the gap soon after, and Mattias Ekholm tied it in the third. Even with another dominant game from Bennett and his line, the Panthers are down 1-0.
The Panthers may have sat on their heels a little bit, which is enough for the Oilers to pounce. Ekholm's goal came on an exceptional assist by, guess who, Connor McDavid . He was held off the scoresheet for the first two periods, but now has his first point of the Stanley Cup Final.
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Leon Draisaitl scored twice in this game, including the overtime winner . The Panthers held him without a goal in the seven games of last year's Stanley Cup Final, but he's hot now. With McDavid and Draisaitl clicking, the Oilers are nearly impossible to beat. The Panthers, however, have the recipe to do it. They play elite defense, have a great goalie, and score in bunches. But the Oilers took Game 1, and Florida will have to fight from behind to win their second consecutive title.
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers is on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Related: Panthers' Paul Maurice drops 'no BS' take after crushing Game 1 vs. Oilers
Related: Panthers' Brad Marchand sends warning about heartbreaking Game 1 loss to Oilers
