Panthers Beat McDavid, Oilers in G1 as NHL Fans Celebrate Sergei Bobrovsky's Heroics

Sergei Bobrovsky took standing on his head literally in Saturday night's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bobrovsky cartwheeled in the second period to make one of the 32 saves that backstopped the Panthers to a 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Bobrovsky's effort allowed the Panthers to win despite being outshot 33-18 by Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Bobrovsky's 32-save shutout also marked the first blank sheet ever posted by a Panthers goaltender in the Stanley Cup Final.

He is now the first goaltender since 1945 to earn shutouts in Game 1 of both the Final and the previous round, per the Associated Press' Josh Dubow.

The records don't stop there. The 35-year-old is the oldest goaltender to ever begin a Stanley Cup Final with a shutout. The feat additionally marks just the seventh time in the last 76 years a goaltender has completed a shutout in Game 1 of the Final, per NHL Media.

It's also the key reason the Panthers have their first Stanley Cup Final series lead in franchise history.

The historic shutout was especially impressive given how much the Oilers dominated play Saturday, particularly when outshooting the Panthers 25-12 through the first two periods.

The Panthers may not have been able to control the Oilers' shot totals, but they dominated in a physical game led by Sam Bennett:

Carter Verhaeghe opened scoring in the first period.

Evan Rodrigues notched an insurance goal halfway through the second, as the Oilers' second defense pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci were unable to limit Bennett on a dump-and-chase.

McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for a total of 10 shots on goal, but were unable to beat Bobrovsky before Eetu Luostarinen finished off the game with an empty-net dagger.

The Oilers will look to score their first goal of the Final when the puck drops for Game 2 in Sunrise on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.