Evander Kane Takes a Shot at Matthew Tkachuk After Game 1 of the Finals

The Florida Panthers dropped Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, 4-3 in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers. Losing a 3-1 lead late in the second period, Florida could not close it out.

Leon Draisaitl got the scoring started, but Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand answered to give the Panthers the lead.

Bennett tallied a goal midway through the second to give Florida a 3-1 lead, but Viktor Arvidsson converted on a one-timer shortly after that to shorten it to a one-goal lead.

Mattias Ekholm then tied it early in the third off a pass from Connor McDavid, who was shut out in the first two periods but had his biggest impact when it counted.

Bennett told 'The Athletic' that the team simply could not close out the victory. Florida was 25-4-0 in the regular season when they were ahead after one period, but the Oilers came on strong and pulled off the comeback.

Draisaitl, who was shut down on scoring any goals in last season's Final, scored his second of the contest in overtime to claim victory.

Evander Kane also contributed on the physical side of things, dishing out the hard hits all night long, something that Matthew Tkachuk is normally known for.

Kane was asked about Tkachuk in his post-game interview, and he went off on him somewhat.

The Panthers' top line was humming, but not quite to the point. With Draisaitl and McDavid getting rolling, Florida now has their hands full.

The Panthers do have it in them, though: elite defense, strong goaltending, and a one-knockout punch for comeback victories. But after Game 1, now it's in the hands of the Oilers. Game 2 is this Friday night at 6 p.m. MT.