Nothing could have prepared the Florida Panthers, still leaning on the confidence of last year’s Cup run, for what they walked into on June 4. “WE WANT THE CUP!” was all the Edmonton crowd had to say. But when 20,000 people scream it in unison, some banging on the glass, others waving flags, all of them dressed in blue and orange, it doesn’t just echo. It crashes. It hits like a wave that could knock you off balance. That deafening roar wasn’t just excitement. It was a hunger for something they hadn’t had in 35 long years. And the Panthers looked like they heard it.

Panthers had the game in their hands for a while. A two-goal lead by the second period should have been enough, especially for a team that hadn’t lost a single one of the last 31 games when leading at intermission. But the Oilers weren’t letting this one slide. They clawed back in. Slowly at first and then, fully in control by the third. The Panthers were outshot 24-8 in that period alone. And when Florida’s Tomas Nosek picked up a delay-of-game penalty in overtime, it felt inevitable. Just over a minute later, Leon Draisaitl buried the winner. A 4-3 loss. A streak snapped. Momentum, gone.

And when Matthew Tkachuk spoke after the game, he didn’t pretend it was just about what happened on the ice. “You see more people here outside than you do when we play here in December,” he said. It wasn’t just an away game, it was a full-blown siege. He added, “It’s not us against just the [Oilers], it’s thousands inside and outside the building.” The crowd wasn’t background noise. It was pressure caused by their mere presence. And for a team used to setting the tone, Florida spent most of the night chasing it.

Wednesday’s game marked the first Cup Final opener in Canada since the Canucks hosted the Bruins at Rogers Arena in 2011. So as the Oilers entered the rink, the decibel level was 113.6, and Leon Draisaitl made sure that he didn’t take too much time in paying back in kind.

That final sequence said a lot. Not just about what Florida lost, but about what Edmonton has started to figure out. The crowd had done its part, but when the puck dropped in overtime, it was the Oilers’ big names who took over. Just over a minute into the power play, McDavid didn’t force a shot. He spotted Draisaitl in space, slid the puck across, and let him finish the job—again. “It’s nice to know that when those two get together midgame, that the results are pretty good,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said afterward. “But yeah, it’s something that we can’t rely on.” He’s right. But on this night, they didn’t have to.

As the Panthers walked off to the sound of La Bamba, there wasn’t much noise coming from their bench. No slammed sticks. No visible anger. Just a quiet exit. Like a team that knew exactly where they slipped, and exactly what they needed to tighten up before Game 2.

What are Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers planning ahead of Game 2?

The signs were there since the beginning of the third period, as the Panthers were outshot 24-8. However, it all came down to one penalty, as late into the OT, Tomas Nosek was penalized for sending the puck out of the rink. Draisaitl’s goal came just 72 seconds after that. But does that change what Coach Paul Maurice thinks of Nosek? Not really. “He’s got lots of people sitting at his table and reminding him how good he’s been.” And much like his coach, Tkachuk, too, isn’t planning on dwelling on past mistakes. He plans on learning and moving on instead.

Matthew Tkachuk began, “We’ve got a lot of battle scars on us from the last few years, and we’ve been through way worse.” After all, in Round 2 of the NHL playoff series, Florida lost the first two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs and were staring down a 2-0 and 3-1 hole in Game 3, but clawed their way back by eventually making it to the Finals. “We can be better, we can adjust a few things and come out tomorrow and try to get a win here and get some momentum going back home,” Tkachuk added.

And if it’s just about a few adjustments and sharper execution, not only Tkachuk but the rest of the roster believes it, too. “This team, I think, has an incredible ability to be able to not only learn from what they have done and apply their experience into situations like this,” said D-man Nate Schmidt. The Oilers may have started loud, but Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers are quietly crafting their reply. This series is going to be one for the ages.