Panthers Half Way To Stanley Cup Championship

SUNRISE, Fla. -- After two games in the Stanley Cup Final, both Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Niko Mikkola have scored more goals than Edmonton Oilers stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman -- combined.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the series on Monday night with a 4-1 win over the Oilers that was powered by two unsung members of their supporting cast. Rodrigues scored twice, giving him three goals in the Final. Mikkola scored a critical goal to tie the score in the second period for only the second playoff goal of his career.

Florida coach Paul Maurice watched another brilliant defensive effort from his team by not allowing anything against the heralded Edmonton power play, not yielding a single high-danger shot attempt at 5-on-5, keeping Edmonton's stars without a goal and relying on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (18 saves) to be the last line of defense.

Rodrigues' first goal in Game 2 came at 3:11 of the third period to snap a 1-1 tie

His second goal came on the power play at 12:26 of the third period. Bouchard again was victimized, this time by an Anton Lundell pass to Rodrigues, who tipped the puck past Skinner for a critical insurance goal.

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Rodrigues became the first player in Panthers history with a multiple-goal game in the Stanley Cup Final. His three goals in the Final equals his total through the first three rounds this year.

Moments later, Lundell stickhandled in the Oilers' zone and dropped a pass to a trailing Mikkola, who blasted a one-timer past Skinner to tie the score 1-1.

Since the Stanley Cup Final first went to a seven-game format in 1939, only five teams have come back to win the Cup after losing the first two contests.

Game 3 is set for Thursday in Edmonton.

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The Remaining Drive-In Theaters In South Dakota

If you were born last century...you know, in the nineteen hundreds (ugh)...you may have spent a summer evening in the car watching movies. I don't mean on your phone, I mean at the drive-in movie theater!

If you were in Sioux Falls in the 1970s and '80s you may remember seeing Jaws and Indiana Jones at The East Park or the Starlite Drive-In. Both drive-ins opened just after World War 2.

The East Park didn't make it out of the '70s, closing in 1978. The Starlite survived long enough to see the birth of home video, closing in 1985.

FLASHBACK: Remember the East Park and Starlite Drive-in Theaters in Sioux Falls?

Drive-in movies had a bit of a resurgence during the pandemic. They were a way to go out and do something social without getting out of your car.

If you tried one during that time, or you remember the fun of a warm summer evening watching movies on that giant screen there are still places in South Dakota and around Sioux Falls you can do it.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

Filed Under: Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, NHL, Stanley Cup Finals

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