In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, an unlikely hero showed up just in time to save the day.
Nikko Mikkola scored in the second period to level the game, and the Panthers and Oilers were locked 1-1 entering the third.
The Panthers then turned to Evan Rodrigues. Three minutes into the game, he beat Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner with one. He wasn’t finished, though.
Leon Draisaitl called a roughing penalty on Aleksander Barkov, which prompted the Panthers to go on the attack. With his third and second goals of the Stanley Cup Final, Rodrigues scored once more. The Panthers needed little more than that to win the game.
With an empty-netter from Aaron Ekblad, Florida won Game 2 4-1.
Chants of “We want the Cup” echoed around the Sunrise, Florida arena as the final seconds passed.
In the history of the Panthers, Rodrigues was the only player to score multiple goals in a Stanley Cup Final.
For the second straight game, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was also on the mound. He stopped multiple shots from Connor McDavid, including one in which the three-time Hart Trophy winner was in a one-on-one situation with Matthew Tkachuk.
