In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Niko Mikkola, the former St. Louis Blues big defenseman, emerged as a hero.
In the second period, Mikkola, 28, scored the first goal for the Florida Panthers, tying the game.
In a strange turn of events, Mikkola nearly scored on his own goal by accident, but Sergei Bobrovsky made a miraculous save. With the play in progress, Anton Lundell set up Mikkola for a goal, marking Florida's first of the night.
Evan Rodrigues
Game 1: 1 goal, 1 point.
Game 2: 2 goals, 2 points.
In Game 2, Evan Rodrigues was a crucial player, netting 2 goals to reach a total of 3 for the series.
Rodrigues, a free-agent acquisition formerly of the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Colorado Avalanche, has made his presence known in the finals. He is currently the top goal scorer among all skaters on both teams, with 3 goals.
The fact that superstars Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov have not been scoring goals highlights the Panthers dependency on their veteran role players.
Aaron Ekblad scored the game's last goal on an empty net.
Goaltending continues to be a factor
Sergei Bobrovsky, also known as "Bobby" to Florida Panthers fans, has been unstoppable.
In the last two games, Bobrovsky has only allowed one goal and finished Game 2 with a .947 SV%.
Power-play opportunities have been wasted by the Edmonton Oilers, who are struggling to score against Bobrovsky.
The Oilers, despite having a talented roster led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, may encounter a challenging task if they consider past statistics. Historically, teams that win both Game 1 and 2 have a 91% chance of winning the Cup. The Edmonton Oilers let a must-win slip away in Game 2.
The teams are playing again on Thursday night, airing on ABC at 8:00 pm ET in Edmonton.