Sergei Bobrovsky brilliant as Panthers blank Oilers in Stanley Cup final opener

Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves to register the third playoff shutout of his career as the Florida Panthers defeated the visiting Edmonton Oilers 3-0 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup final.

Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen, into an empty net, scored for Florida. Aleksander Barkov had two assists.

Stuart Skinner stopped 15 shots for Edmonton.

"Incredible," Florida forward Sam Bennett said referring to Bobrovsky's perferomance. "We have so much belief, and he gives us so much energy back there. It's amazing to watch him perform in net. He's been a star all year long."

Game 2 of a title series with the furthest distance between competing cities in NHL history goes Monday back at Amerant Arena before the best-of-seven series shifts to the Alberta capital.

The Oilers are in the final for the first time since 2006 and are looking for their first sip from hockey's holy grail since winning the franchise's fifth Cup in 1990.

"Game 1's of series are always unique because you don't know what to expect," Oilers left wing Zach Hyman said. "You hear everything about what the team does. You watch video. But you haven't played them for months. As the series settles in, you are pretty well aware of what works, what doesn't work."

For stars like Connor McDavid, a generational talent who has faced pressure since the moment he entered the league nine years ago, the game started business as usual.

McDavid showed off his unmatched acceleration in the opening period when he slipped past Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad for a one-on-one chance with Bobrovsky, only to be denied in a theme that repeated itself throughout the night.

Even McDavid, who leads all scorers in the post-season with 31 points, couldn't