Sergei Bobrovsky was dominant in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, pitching a shutout. Islanders legend Billy Smith did the same against the Oilers back in 1983.
If you watched the first game of the Stanley Cup Final, it was clear that the Edmonton Oilers outplayed the Florida Panthers.
Edmonton outshot Florida 32-18 — 26-17 at even strength — with a Corsi For percentage of 58.62.
But numbers didn’t matter.
What mattered was the masterful performance by Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped all 32 shots that came his way in a 3-0 win.
He was just sensational in the win and now shares a stat with New York Islanders legend Billy Smith.
Both have shut the Oilers out in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, with Smith doing so 41 years ago in Game 1 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Final.
Not only that, but Bobrovsky shut out Connor McDavid, who was playing in his first Stanley Cup Final game, while Smith did the same thing to a young Wayne Gretzky, who, too, was skating in his first Championship series game in 1983.
Here's a look back at Smith's performance in Game 1, a series that ended in a sweep and New York hoisting their fourth straight Stanley Cup:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW4W3hQKUjQ[/embed]
Smith and the Islanders won Game 2 in 1983 by a score of 6-3, as he made 30 saves on 33 shots.
We will see how Bobrobsky fares when the puck drops for Game 2 on Monday night at 8 PM ET.
The two teams would meet again in the 1984 Stanley Cup Final, the Islanders' fifth straight appearance.
This time, Gretzky and the Oilers defeated the Islanders four games to one, ending their dynasty and starting one of their own. They went on to win five of the next seven championships (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990).
The Islanders have not appeared in a Stanley Cup final since 1984, while the Oilers are back in the finals for the first time since 2006. That year, they lost to Paul Maurice, the current head coach of the Panthers, and the Carolina Hurricanes in a seven-game duel.
That was Edmonton's first appearance since last winning the Cup in 1990.