Current:Home > FinanceFlorida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers facing off in Stanley Cup Final. What to know -Elevate Capital Network
Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers facing off in Stanley Cup Final. What to know
View
Date:2025-04-24 10:06:27
The Stanley Cup Final will have a real 1993 vibe to it.
That's the year that the Florida Panthers played their first season in the NHL and they are still seeking their first championship. That's also the last time that a Canadian team (Montreal Canadiens) won a Stanley Cup title.
Regardless of whether the Panthers or Edmonton Oilers win the best-of-seven series that opens Saturday in Sunrise, Florida, a long drought will end.
Both teams overcame 2-1 series deficits in the conference final to advance.
"We always believed in ourselves and each other and knew that putting ourselves in this position was always a possibility and it feel goods to have done that," Oilers star Connor McDavid said.
Here is a breakdown of the Stanley Cup Final:
Florida Panthers (Atlantic 1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2)
Regular-season records: Panthers - 52-24-6, 110 points. Oilers - 49-27-6, 104
How Panthers got here: Beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, beat Boston Bruins 4-2, beat New York Rangers 4-2.
How Oilers got here: Beat Los Angeles Kings 4-1, beat Vancouver Canucks 4-3, beat Dallas Stars 4-2.
Season series: 2-0 Panthers, with Florida outscoring Edmonton 10-4
Expected goaltending matchup: Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky (12-5, 2.20, .908) vs. Oilers' Stuart Skinner (11-5, 2.50, .897)
About the Florida Panthers
The Panthers and coach Paul Maurice are making their second consecutive trip to the Final. They lost last season to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. But the Panthers are deeper and healthier than last season. They added three defensemen, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, in the offseason to help them cope while Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad recovered from surgery. They also signed forward Evan Rodrigues and added former Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo at the deadline.
The Panthers come at you in waves. Their forechecking make it difficult for opponents to go up the ice. Captain Aleksander Barkov won a second career Selke Trophy as top defensive forward. Sam Reinhart, a 57-goal scorer, finished fourth in Selke voting. Sam Bennett is a hard hitter who scores clutch goals. Feisty leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk is familiar to the Oilers from his days with the Calgary Flames.
Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) candidates: Barkov, Bobrovsky
About the Edmonton Oilers
This is McDavid's first trip to the Final and the Oilers' first trip since 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. They won championships in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988 with Wayne Gretzky and in 1990 after he was traded.
This team is known for its offense. The Oilers hold four of the league's top five places on the NHL playoff scoring before Tkachuk comes in at No. 6. McDavid, who recorded a rare 100 assists in the regular season, leads the way with 31 points. Leon Draisaitl has 28 points and Evan Bouchard is the top defenseman with 27. Zach Hyman has a league-best 14 goals.
This season started poorly and Jay Woodcroft was fired with a 3-9-1 record. Kris Knoblauch, the Rangers' American Hockey League coach, came in and improved the team's all-around play. They had a 16-game winning streak this season. The penalty kill is perfect in the last 10 games. Knoblauch is willing to make tough decisions. He benched Skinner for two games and his play improved after his return.
Conn Smythe candidates: McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Hyman
Panthers vs. Oilers statistical breakdown
Goals per game: Oilers - 3.50 vs. 3.24
Goals against per game: Panthers - 2.29 vs 2.61
Five-on-five play: Panthers - 1.29 vs. 1.03
Power play: Oilers - 37.3% vs. 23.3%
Penalty kill: Oilers - 93.9% vs. 88.2%
Hits: Panthers - 739 vs. 563
Blocked shots: Oilers - 305 vs. 267
veryGood! (2778)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Princess Kate cancer update: Read her full statement to the public
- Waffle House servers are getting a raise — to $3 an hour
- Edmonton Oilers are searching for answers down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Judge could soon set trial date for man charged in killings of 4 University of Idaho students
- U.N. official says he saw Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians fishing off Gaza coast
- How The Bachelor's Becca Tilley Found Her Person in Hayley Kiyoko
- Judge says Mexican ex-official tried to bribe inmates in a bid for new US drug trial
- 'It was just awful': 66-year-old woman fatally struck by police truck on South Carolina beach
Ranking
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- Prosecutor says ATF agent justified in fatal shooting of Little Rock airport director during raid
- Las Vegas shooting survivors alarmed at US Supreme Court’s strike down of ban on rifle bump stocks
- U.S. sanctions Israeli group for damaging humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Oilers on brink of being swept in Stanley Cup Final: Mistakes, Panthers' excellence to blame
- Can Florida win Stanley Cup? Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4 live stream, TV, time, odds, keys
- Shooting in Detroit suburb leaves ‘numerous wounded victims,’ authorities say
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Much of U.S. braces for extreme weather, from southern heat wave to possible snow in the Rockies
Revolve Sale Finds Under $60: Up to 82% Off Must-Have Styles From Nike, AllSaints & More
28 people left dangling, stuck upside down on ride at Oaks Amusement Park: Video
Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Calls Him “Absolutely Pathetic” and a “Serial Adulterer”
Reese Witherspoon Debuts Jaw-Dropping Nicole Kidman Impression While Honoring Her
Screw warm and fuzzy: Why 2024 is the year of feel-bad TV
California’s Democratic leaders clash with businesses over curbing retail theft. Here’s what to know