First period – 4:16
The teams have exchanged multiple chances in the last 10 minutes, with the shots 6-5 in favour of Florida. Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard hit the post with a slapshot from the point, nearly giving Edmonton their first lead of the game.
First period – 13:16
Just a few minutes later, Oilers’ forward Mattias Janmark scores his fourth of the post-season off a feed from Cody Ceci, tying the game 1-1.
— NHL (@NHL) June 25, 2024“>
First period – 15:53
Panthers’ forward Carter Verhaeghe opens the scoring just over four minutes into the first period, giving Florida 1-0 lead over the Oilers.
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8:13 p.m. EDT / 6:13 p.m. MST
Puck drop is minutes away. Florida fans cheer “Let’s Go Panthers,” but the sound of Edmonton fans screaming “Let’s Go Oilers” clashes with the home fans.
8:00 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. MST
Only one lineup change between the two teams: Panthers’ forward Kyle Okposo will replace Nick Cousins in Florida’s bottom-six forward group.
The 36-year-old played in the first five games of the series, but was a healthy scratch for the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Oilers on Friday. In 16 post-season games, Okposo has two assists.
7:45 p.m. EDT / 5:45 p.m. MST
TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston shares a picture from the press box in Amerant Bank Arena, indicating many fans have made the trip from Edmonton to see Game 7.
Pregame notes
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers go into Monday night looking to make history.
The Oilers, at one point down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers and looking dead in the water, managed to string together three wins and force a deciding Game 7 that, regardless of the outcome, will make history.
Follow CTVNews.ca for Game 7 updates throughout the night.
Edmonton is looking to become just the fifth team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0, and the first since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to do so in the Stanley Cup Final.
The 27-year-old McDavid has been dominant throughout the Stanley Cup Final, scoring three goals and eight assists for 11 points against the Panthers. He leads the post-season in assists (34) and points (42), becoming just the third player in NHL history to hit the 40-point mark in a single playoff season.
The other two were Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid breaks down ice during practice on June 23, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla., the day before taking on the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
McDavid, who already broke Gretzky’s record for most assists in a single playoff season, is also five points away from tying “The Great One’s” record for most in a single post-season of 47, which he set in 1985.
Another Edmonton player has made history this post-season. Defenceman Evan Bouchard broke Oilers’ legend Paul Coffey’s record for most assists by a defender in a single playoff season, now with 26.
The 24-year-old Bouchard, only in his third full NHL season, also became the fourth defender in league history to record 30 points in a single post-season. The other three are Coffey, Brian Leetch and Al MacInnis.