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Game 1 in the Stanley Cup final between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will take place on Thursday at. 20 one at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada.
It’s the second straight season that Oilers and Panthers have been matched in the Stanley Cup final. Last season, Panthers won their first championship in franchise history.
Panthers won that series in seven matches, but was on the brink of one of the biggest breakdowns in sports history.
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Florida Panthers Center Aleksander Barkov speaks with Edmonton Oilers Center Connor McDavid at the end of Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Panthers went up 3-0, but Oilers won three consecutive matches and forced Game 7, which Panthers held on and won, 2-1.
Despite the loss, the Oilers Super Star Connor McDavid was awarded to Conn Smythe Trophy, the award given to the most valuable player of his team in the playoffs.
It was just the sixth time in the NHL story that a player in the losing team got the Conn Smythe trophy.
The Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup-Last Rematch is 12. The last time it happened was when Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings played in 2008 and 2009.
The red wings won in 2008, while Penguins won in 2009.
Panthers hopes to become the first team to defeat the same opponent in consecutive Stanley Cup finals since Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins in 1977 and 1978.
Below is a preview of this year’s matchup between the two power centers.
Edmonton Oilers Eye Revenge in the Stanley Cup final after gathering past Dallas stars in the conference final
Edmonton -Star Connor McDavid appears with NHL -Vice Commissioner Bill Daly as they hold Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after match 5 in the Western Conference Finals on May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
How they came here
Panthers
Panthers finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with 98 points. Toronto Maple Leafs won the division with 108 points, while Tampa Bay Lightning was second with 102 points.
In the playoffs, Panthers jumped both of these teams. In the first round, they defeated the lightning in five matches in “Battle of Florida.”
The second round was not almost as easy as Panthers fell afterwards in the series, 2-0, to Maple Leafs, before gathering and winning four of the next five games and defeating Toronto in seven games.
In the eastern conference final, the Panthers the Carolina Orchans dominated. They took a commanding 3-0 series lead with the combined score 16-4 in favor of Panthers in these games.
Hurricanes avoided being swept with a Game 4 victory, but Panthers won Game 5, 5-3, to move on to their third straight Stanley Cup final.
Oilers
Oilers ended up in third place in the Pacific Division with 101 points. Vegas Golden Knights won the division with 110 points, while Los Angeles Kings was second with 105 points.
Oilers, like Panthers, knocked out both teams that ended in front of them in their branch from the playoffs.
In the first round, Oilers sent Kings in six matches. In the second round, they beat the Golden Knights in five matches.
In the western conference final, Oilers Dallas Stars beat in five matches and eliminated them in the conference final for the second season in a row.
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Florida Panthers Center Aleksander Barkov, Left, and NHL -Vice Commissioner Bill Daly make up with Prince of Wales Trophy at the end of Game 5 in the eastern conference final on May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Each team’s most important contributors
Panthers
Panthers has received production from a large part of their list during their race to the Stanley Cup final as 10 players have scored at least 10 points in the team’s 17 playoff matches.
Center Sam Bennett leads the team with 10 goals, while Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe are tied to the other on the team with six goals per year.
Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are tied to the team’s lead with 11 assists each, while the acquisition of the trade deadline Brad Marchand and Evan Rodrigues are tied to the other on the team with 10 assists.
Barkov leads the team with 17 points.
Goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky has started all 17 games in the playoffs and has shined, and goes 12-5 while allowing 2.11 goals per year. Fight with a savings percentage of 0.912%.
Oilers
Oilers have not received as much production throughout the lineup as Panthers has, but they have two of the best players in the sport who have carried the strain for them.
Edmonton has seven players who have scored at least 10 points in the playoffs compared to Panthers ’10 players.
Throughout his career, McDavid has raised his game in the playoffs, and these playoffs have been no different.
In 16 games, McDavid has 26 points (six goals, 20 assists), while Leon Draisaitl has 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists).
Draisaitl and 40-year-old Corey Perry are tied to the team’s lead with seven goals per year. Piece in the Edmonton end game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the third on the team to score with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists), with defender Evan Bouchard right behind him with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists).
Unlike Panthers, Oilers have not been given a consistent goalkeeper game. Both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard started games in the playoffs for Edmonton.
The rails are 6-4 in 10 matches started with a 2.53 goal against average with a 0.904 savings percentage, while the pickard is 6-0 in six starts with a 2.84 goal against average and a .888 savings percentage.
Oilers turned to rails in their series against the stars.
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Edmonton Oilers Right Wing Corey Perry, right, celebrates with Center Connor McDavid after scoring in the first period of Game 5 in the Western Conference Finals on May 29, 2025 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
What the stars say
McDavid said Oilers’ crushing Stanley Cup final loss served as a “learning experience” for the team.
“I think we’re better at going through last year. It’s a great learning experience and it’s really driven us all year round,” McDavid said after Oilers packed their second Western conference title in a row. “This race has felt different than last year. It felt very normal. … I wouldn’t say boring because it’s not boring at all. It’s not been so emotional.”
“We haven’t had the heights and we haven’t had low. It’s just kind of been stable,” McDavid said. “I think it puts us in a good position. You know these games can be emotional drainage. We’re not drained. … You know we have such a good chance as they do.”
Oiler’s head coach Kris Knoblauch said the team has been preparing for this playoffs since their game 7 -Tab last season.
“I think we spent seven months getting ready for this playoffs. I think it was on our minds since we lost the last game,” Knoblauch said. “A long, hard summer and training camp, regular season, and it was just kind of punching our cards, showing up, would have the playoffs, just have a new opportunity.”
Draisaitl said it would be nice to have a chance to get revenge.
“I mean, we know what they’re all about. We played them seven times and they’re a good team,” said Draisaitl. “We are really a good team too. Obviously, it’s great to get a shot, you know to get some revenge, but a long way from there.”
Panthers expects the Stanley Cup final to be a match again.
“It’s going to be an incredible fight again,” Panthers Frem Sam Reinhart said via NHL.com. “They play, of course, some pretty dominant hockey, so we are happy with the challenge. We have to be ready for it.”
“They’re a really good team,” Verhaeghe said via NHL.com. “They’ve been in the final. They’re definitely a hungry team. It’s not easy to go to the last two times in a row so they want it bad. So it’s for us to play our game and we’ll be ready too.”
Panther’s head coach Paul Maurice said Oilers are better at what they are doing now.
“I think both teams are still pretty consistent with their identity and their game style. They are a year further into their program now, and so are we. They’ve had three good years. They just didn’t come to the last three years ago, but they’ve had long playoffs. I think they’re better at what they’re doing now, and we’re too.”
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Florida Panthers Center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal against Carolina Hurricanes during match 5 in the eastern conference final, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, NC (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Damage report
Panthers
Three forward -moving did not practice with the team on Saturday. Anton Lundell and AJ Greer did not skate and Eetu Luostarin is skating on his own.
Maurice said that the “only question mark” is Greer, per. NHL.COM. Maurice said the team will list him as day to day.
Lundell and Luostarin are “fine” according to Maurice and should be in the set -up for Game 1.
Oilers
Oilers are mostly healthy when Mattias Ekholm and Connor Brown both returned during the western conference final.
However, the team is likely to be without Forward Zach Hyman during the Stanley Cup final. Hyman was injured in a collision in play 4 against the stars and underwent an operation on the upper body damage.
Hyman’s absence is a big one as Forward had five goals and six assists in 15 playoff games.
Edmonton Oilers Center Connor McDavid scores against the stars under Game 5 in Western Conference Finals, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Playing times and dates
Last year, the Panthers had home-ice advantage, but this time around Oilers have home ice.
Below are the times and dates of the series (* indicates whether the game is needed).
Game 1 – Wednesday, June 4, at 20 one, Rogers Place, Edmonton
Game 2 – Friday, June 6, at 20 one, Rogers Place, Edmonton
Game 3 – Monday 9 June, 7 p.m. 20 ET, AMERANT BANK Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Game 4 – Thursday, June 12, at 1 p.m. 20 ET, AMERANT BANK Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Game 5* – Saturday, June 14, at 20 one, Rogers Place, Edmonton
Game 6* – Tuesday, June 17, at 20 ET, AMERANT BANK Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Game 7* – Friday 20. June, 7 p.m. 20 one, Rogers Place, Edmonton
