Stanley Cup Final preview: Everything you need to know for Panthers-Oilers II

The Stanley Cup playoffs is 1 of the astir grueling postseason tournaments successful sports. So it's nary wonderment that a squad appearing successful the Stanley Cup Final successful back-to-back years is thing of a rarity. It's rarer inactive that some teams conscionable up again successful consecutive Cup Finals.

But that's precisely what happened successful 2025. Following a thrilling, seven-game bid successful 2024 successful which the Florida Panthers went up 3-0, mislaid the adjacent 3 to the Edmonton Oilers and won Game 7 for the franchise's archetypal Cup, the 2 teams are backmost astatine it again starting with Game 1 connected Wednesday.

How are the teams antithetic than the 2024 editions? How assured should each squad beryllium successful its goaltender close now? And what are the X factors and large questions for each nine heading into the rematch?

Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton uncover the communicative of the portion earlier this heavyweight sequel.

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Key stats, matchups
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How are these teams amended than past season's versions?

Oilers

Edmonton appears to beryllium much ruthless -- apt due to the fact that of what happened past postseason against Florida successful the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers astir pulled disconnected 1 of the the top comebacks successful NHL history, lone to suffer Game 7 aft falling into a three-game shortage to commencement the series.

This postseason has seen them maestro the comeback, portion besides sensing however to halt an hostile from doing the same. They mislaid the archetypal 2 games of the first-round bid against the Los Angeles Kings earlier winning 4 straight. They opened Game 1 of the second-round bid versus the Vegas Golden Knights by giving up the archetypal 2 goals earlier mounting a Stanley Cup playoff grounds with their 5th consecutive comeback victory. Even with the Golden Knights grabbing a last-second extremity to triumph Game 3, the Oilers unopen them retired for the last 2 games of the series.

That inclination continued erstwhile they played the Dallas Stars successful the Western Conference finals. The Stars scored six consecutive goals to instrumentality Game 1, lone for the Oilers to springiness up 5 goals total implicit the adjacent 4 games to beforehand to the Cup Final. -- Clark

Panthers

Florida had bully extent a play ago. The Panthers person great extent this clip around.

They've had 19 antithetic players airy the lamp this postseason compared to 15 successful the 2024 playoffs. Florida is besides averaging much goals (3.88 per game) and giving up less scores (2.29) than before, portion their powerfulness play has been markedly much productive (23.2% vs. 18.5%) and their punishment termination (87.9%) is the champion successful the playoffs.

The Panthers' corporate buy-in connected defence has been noticeable. They've fixed up less shots this go-around and person been capable to unopen down immoderate of the league's hottest violative teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning led the NHL successful regular-season scoring but managed conscionable 12 goals successful 5 games during their first-round bid against Florida. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky's numbers are stronger present than a play agone (more connected him later).

GM Bill Zito made cardinal additions to the Panthers' roster successful Brad Marchand, who has been a sensational third-line asset, and Seth Jones, a productive unit connected the backmost end. Florida recovered the close premix of physicality and accomplishment that has made it a panic for each hostile truthful far. -- Shilton

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Matthew Tkachuk hypes Stanley Cup Final rematch: 'We're the 2 best'

Matthew Tkachuk joins "The Pat McAfee Show" to sermon wherefore a rematch betwixt the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers is "an unthinkable final."

How are these teams worse than past season's versions?

Oilers

The Oilers had a punishment termination that was 1 of the champion successful league past but present struggles astatine times. Part of their tally to the Cup Final past play was owed to a punishment termination that had a 94.3% occurrence rate. The Oilers are backmost successful the Final again, with the world that their short-handed performances person succeeding conscionable 66% of the time, which ranks arsenic the third-worst complaint this postseason.

So what's different? Namely, it's their personnel. Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Ryan McLeod were integral players who were besides successful the apical 8 of short-handed minutes for the Oilers past postseason. All 3 played elsewhere this season.

Then there's the circumstances astir Mattias Ekholm. He led the Oilers with 68:49 successful short-handed crystal clip past postseason, and it was much than 12 minutes up of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was second. The bully quality for Edmonton? Ekholm returned to the squad successful Game 5 against the Stars aft missing the entirety of the playoffs to that constituent recovering from an undisclosed injury. -- Clark

Panthers

Frankly, it's pugnacious nitpicking the Panthers. But determination person been immoderate lapses erstwhile Florida looked little than championship-worthy.

The aboriginal games successful the second-round bid against the Toronto Maple Leafs showed Florida's vulnerabilities defending disconnected the unreserved against top-flight talents. That contented resurfaced successful Games 4 and 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes erstwhile Florida looked much flat-footed and turnover prone against faster forwards.

That's an country the Panthers didn't conflict with arsenic overmuch past play -- Florida is averaging much giveaways per 60 minutes this postseason (12.23) compared to a play agone (9.67), and Edmonton is susceptible of forcing errors with their velocity and skill. Puck absorption -- and extortion -- volition beryllium paramount for the Panthers. -- Shilton

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Leon Draisaitl excited to person different accidental to triumph Stanley Cup

Leon Draisaitl breaks down what he's looking guardant to successful the Oilers' matchup vs. the Panthers successful the Stanley Cup Final.

Goaltender Confidence Ratings

Oilers: 8.5/10

May 10 is the time everything changed for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner. That's the time Kris Knoblauch returned to Skinner for Game 3 against the Golden Knights.

Knoblauch had benched Skinner aft helium allowed 12 goals successful the archetypal 2 games of the erstwhile bid against the Kings, which led to Calvin Pickard taking over. Pickard, however, sustained an wounded successful Game 2 against the Golden Knights, which led to Skinner's instrumentality for Game 3.

In the clip since Skinner's reentry, helium has go 1 of the Oilers' astir important players. Skinner unopen retired the Golden Knights for the last 2 games and besides had a shutout against the Stars successful the league finals.

Getting a brace of shutouts answered immoderate questions. There were inactive concerns astir whether the Oilers could triumph if Skinner wasn't cleanable and didn't grounds a shutout. He answered those questions by posting a .920 prevention percent implicit the last 3 games of the league finals to slam the doorway unopen connected Dallas. -- Clark

Panthers: 9/10

Bobrovsky has levelled up successful each bid Florida has played this postseason -- and his astir caller numbers are progressively absurd.

Through 5 games against Tampa Bay successful the archetypal circular and the archetypal 3 games against Toronto successful the 2nd round, Bobrovsky was 5-3, with an .875 prevention percent and 2.94 goals-against average. Average stuff. Something clicked successful the 2nd round, and Playoff Bob went bonkers; successful Games 4-7 against the Leafs and the full Eastern Conference finals, Bobrovsky went 7-2, with a .944 SV% and 1.34 goals against average. Oh, and helium had 2 shutouts successful that stretch.

Bobrovsky's "worst" show successful the past 2 weeks was Game 5 against Carolina, erstwhile helium gave up 3 goals connected 20 shots, the astir markers helium has allowed since Game 3 against Toronto.

Bobrovsky has proven his mettle clip and again. He has experienced occurrence and nonaccomplishment connected a Cup Final tally (remember helium was pulled from Game 4 past year, a brutal 8-1 Panthers loss). Bobrovsky is simply a seasoned netminder astatine the apical of his crippled and volition effort to get the amended of Skinner again successful this year's goaltending matchup. -- Shilton

X factors for the Cup Final

Oilers

How volition they negociate without Zach Hyman for a full series? Hyman led the Oilers with 16 goals past postseason. He has contributed successful a antithetic mode this season, successful that helium has been their astir carnal player. Hyman was starring the NHL this postseason with 111 hits and added different magnitude to what was an already layered team.

The wounded helium sustained successful Game 4 against Dallas means he'll miss the remainder of the playoffs. It's a nonaccomplishment that created concerns specified as: Who fills that carnal void? Who fills successful connected the apical six? Who takes his spot connected the powerfulness play?

In their archetypal crippled without Hyman, the Oilers erstwhile again relied connected their extent to capable that absence. They had 5 forwards decorativeness with much than 5 hits, portion 2 of those skaters -- Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen -- scored successful the series-clinching Game 5. But that's not to accidental Hyman was the lone Oilers skater who has a carnal borderline to their game. Entering the Game 1 of the Final, the Oilers person 5 players who are successful the apical 25 successful hits this postseason. -- Clark

Panthers

How volition Florida's stars stack up against Edmonton's? The Panthers, arsenic noted above, person 19 extremity scorers this postseason. So bash the Oilers. There's extent to spare connected some sides of this one.

But, Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are archetypal and 2nd successful playoff scoring (with 26 and 25 points, respectively). The Panthers' apical 2 constituent getters are Aleksander Barkov (with 17) and Sam Bennett (16). And Bennett is besides Florida's goal-scoring person with 10; he's the lone Panther with a double-digit total.

Florida needs Barkov, Bennett, Sam Reinhart (four goals and 13 points), Carter Verhaeghe (six goals and 14 points) and Matthew Tkachuk (five goals and 16 points) each rolling from the outset successful this series. The Oilers are opportunistic, explosive and conscionable arsenic unsafe five-on-five arsenic connected the powerfulness play. How Florida counters to not lone clasp Edmonton's stars astatine bay but consistently activate its ain could beryllium the deciding origin successful this matchup. -- Shilton

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Fortenbaugh's champion stake for Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup rematch

Joe Fortenbaugh explains wherefore he's taking the Panthers to repetition arsenic champions against the Oilers.

Big questions earlier Game 1

Can a squad defined by its adjustments proceed to marque the close ones?

The Oilers person made large adjustments passim the playoffs, specified arsenic the ones that helped them rally from an 0-2 bid spread against the Kings. Or the adjustments made erstwhile they silenced the Golden Knights, who were successful the apical 5 successful goals per crippled successful the regular season, implicit the last 2 games of the series. Plus the mode they went from giving up six goals to the Stars successful Game 1 of the league finals to allowing lone 5 goals combined for the last 4 games of the series.

There's however they managed to find antiaircraft continuity without Ekholm. There's the mode they went from Skinner to Pickard and backmost to Skinner to instrumentality to the Cup Final -- wherever they'll beryllium missing Hyman.

Will those adjustments beryllium the quality betwixt a repetition of past season's decision and winning it each for the archetypal clip since 1990? -- Clark

How volition penalties power this series?

Florida toes the enactment -- without going implicit it -- amended than immoderate squad successful the league. The Panthers besides walk a important magnitude of clip successful the box. Can the Panthers find the close equilibrium betwixt the 2 here, knowing the Oilers person a ascendant powerfulness play that conscionable scored six goals connected the antheral vantage -- astatine slightest 1 per crippled -- successful the Western Conference finals against Dallas?

Florida is the astir penalized squad successful the playoff tract (by a wide margin), and that's conscionable portion and parcel for a physically focused squad that's besides averaging the astir hits (47.05 per game) successful the postseason. Florida has besides drawn much penalties than immoderate team.

It's an intriguing dynamic that could spell 1 of 2 ways for the Panthers. Will they frustrate the Oilers portion staying connected the close broadside of the officials? Or volition Edmonton's dynamism unit the Panthers into overstepping their boundaries?

Special teams abruptly loom large. Edmonton has the power-play edge, portion Florida has the penalty-killing prowess. The back-and-forth and imaginable for gamesmanship volition beryllium fascinating. -- Shilton

Game 1 champion bets

Anton Lundell implicit 0.5 full assists (+210): Historically, the Oilers person preferred Connor McDavid's enactment versus Matthew Tkachuk's erstwhile they power past change, which they volition to commencement the bid successful Edmonton. The Panthers, meanwhile, thin connected Aleksander Barkov to cheque McDavid erstwhile they person that advantage. All that top-line jockeying leaves Edmonton with less options to incorporate the trio of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen. That enactment has been ascendant astatine 5-on-5, with 10 goals scored and conscionable 2 allowed this postseason.

Vasily Podkolzin implicit 4.5 full hits (+115): The Oilers person been overmuch much carnal successful this year's run, apt a acquisition learned aft falling to the punishing Panthers past spring. In constricted minutes (10:53 per game), Podkolzin has delivered 74 hits implicit 16 games, and is averaging 5.0 per nighttime astatine home. He's a bully stake to support that pace.

Eetu Luostarinen implicit 0.5 full goals (+650): If you are looking for a longer changeable to substance the payout connected a same-game parlay, taking Luostarinen for a extremity is simply a just gamble. He has the second-most 5-on-5 goals for the Panthers this postseason (four) and second-most high-danger scoring chances (17, per NaturalStatTrick), but has overmuch longer likelihood than the Panthers starring those respective categories (Lundell astatine +360 and Carter Verhaeghe astatine +230). -- Sean Allen