The Team of Destiny Starts Hot
While the Hurricanes were probably the better team on paper, the Oilers came out in Game 1 with something to prove. The fans at the RBC Center witnessed a stunning start from the visitors. The Oilers drew first blood in the series less than nine minutes into the game. Fernando Pisani redirected Jaroslav Spacek's point shot, and while Cam Ward made the initial stop, Pisani picked up the rebound to score his league-leading tenth goal of the postseason.
Fernando Pisani's postseason run seemingly came out of nowhere. While he put together a career season in 2005-06, scoring 18 goals and 37 points, Pisani was a bit of a late bloomer. He was drafted in the eighth round by the Oilers in 1996, needing several years before finally cracking the big team. With five goals in their series against the Red Wings, Pisani was a big part of the huge upset victory.
The second period provided a little history with it. Niclas Wallin was found guilty of covering the puck in the crease, giving the Oilers a chance to go 1-on-1 with Cam Ward. The Oilers chose to go with future Hall-of-Famer Chris Pronger. In his first season with Edmonton, Pronger had been acquired in the offseason from the Blues and has ties to Hartford, being drafted by the Whalers second overall in 1993. Pronger beat Ward to his stick side, becoming the first player to score on a penalty shot in the Stanley Cup Final.
The lead swole to 3-0 in the second period after a tough bounce. Ethan Moreau's shot from the boards hit Aaron Ward in front of the net and beat Cam Ward under his blocker. It was a potentially back-breaking bounce that sucked the life out of the building. Despite the deficit, this Hurricanes team hadn't gotten this far without a little adversity.