Stanley Cup Remaining preview: Sizing up Panthers-Oilers II

The Stanley Cup playoffs is among the most grueling postseason tournaments in sports activities. So it is no surprise {that a} workforce showing within the Stanley Cup Remaining in back-to-back years is one thing of a rarity. It is rarer nonetheless that each groups meet up once more in consecutive Cup Finals.

However that is precisely what occurred in 2025. Following an exhilarating, seven-game sequence in 2024 wherein the Florida Panthers went up 3-0, misplaced the following three to the Edmonton Oilers and received Sport 7 for the franchise’s first Cup, the 2 groups are again at it once more beginning with Sport 1 on Wednesday.

How are the groups totally different than the 2024 editions? How assured ought to every workforce be in its goaltender proper now? And what are the X elements and massive questions for every membership heading into the rematch?

Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton reveal the story of the tape earlier than this heavyweight sequel.

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Key stats, matchups
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How are these groups higher than final season’s variations?

Oilers

Edmonton seems to be extra ruthless — seemingly due to what occurred final postseason towards Florida within the Stanley Cup Remaining. The Oilers almost pulled off one of many the best comebacks in NHL historical past, solely to lose Sport 7 after falling right into a three-game deficit to begin the sequence.

This postseason has seen them grasp the comeback, whereas additionally sensing methods to cease an opponent from doing the identical. They misplaced the primary two video games of the first-round sequence towards the Los Angeles Kings earlier than successful 4 straight. They opened Sport 1 of the second-round sequence versus the Vegas Golden Knights by giving up the primary two objectives earlier than setting a Stanley Cup playoff document with their fifth consecutive comeback victory. Even with the Golden Knights grabbing a last-second aim to win Sport 3, the Oilers shut them out for the ultimate two video games of the sequence.

That pattern continued after they performed the Dallas Stars within the Western Convention finals. The Stars scored six straight objectives to take Sport 1, just for the Oilers to surrender 5 objectives whole over the following 4 video games to advance to the Cup Remaining. — Clark

Panthers

Florida had good depth a season in the past. The Panthers have nice depth this time round.

They’ve had 19 totally different gamers mild the lamp this postseason in comparison with 15 within the 2024 playoffs. Florida can be averaging extra objectives (3.88 per sport) and giving up fewer scores (2.29) than earlier than, whereas their energy play has been markedly extra productive (23.2% vs. 18.5%) and their penalty kill (87.9%) is the very best within the playoffs.

The Panthers’ collective buy-in on protection has been noticeable. They’ve given up fewer photographs this go-around and have been in a position to shut down a number of the league’s hottest offensive groups. The Tampa Bay Lightning led the NHL in regular-season scoring however managed simply 12 objectives in 5 video games throughout their first-round sequence towards Florida. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s numbers are stronger now than a season in the past (extra on him later).

GM Invoice Zito made key additions to the Panthers’ roster in Brad Marchand, who has been a sensational third-line asset, and Seth Jones, a productive pressure on the again finish. Florida discovered the right combination of physicality and talent that has made it a terror for each opponent to this point. — Shilton

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How are these groups worse than final season’s variations?

Oilers

The Oilers had a penalty kill that was probably the greatest in league historical past however now struggles at occasions. A part of their run to the Cup Remaining final season was as a consequence of a penalty kill that had a 94.3% success price. The Oilers are again within the Remaining once more, with the truth that their short-handed performances have succeeding simply 66% of the time, which ranks because the third-worst price this postseason.

So what’s totally different? Particularly, it is their personnel. Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Ryan McLeod have been integral gamers who have been additionally within the high eight of short-handed minutes for the Oilers final postseason. All three performed elsewhere this season.

Then there’s the circumstances round Mattias Ekholm. He led the Oilers with 68:49 in short-handed ice time final postseason, and it was greater than 12 minutes forward of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was second. The excellent news for Edmonton? Ekholm returned to the workforce in Sport 5 towards the Stars after lacking the whole thing of the playoffs to that time recovering from an undisclosed harm. — Clark

Panthers

Frankly, it is robust nitpicking the Panthers. However there have been some lapses when Florida seemed lower than championship-worthy.

The early video games within the second-round sequence towards the Toronto Maple Leafs confirmed Florida’s vulnerabilities defending off the push towards top-flight skills. That difficulty resurfaced in Video games 4 and 5 towards the Carolina Hurricanes when Florida seemed extra flat-footed and turnover inclined towards quicker forwards.

That is an space the Panthers did not battle with as a lot final season — Florida is averaging extra giveaways per 60 minutes this postseason (12.23) in comparison with a season in the past (9.67), and Edmonton is able to forcing errors with their pace and talent. Puck administration — and safety — will likely be paramount for the Panthers. — Shilton

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Goaltender Confidence Rankings

Oilers: 8.5/10

Could 10 is the day every little thing modified for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner. That is the day Kris Knoblauch returned to Skinner for Sport 3 towards the Golden Knights.

Knoblauch had benched Skinner after he allowed 12 objectives within the first two video games of the earlier sequence towards the Kings, which led to Calvin Pickard taking up. Pickard, nonetheless, sustained an harm in Sport 2 towards the Golden Knights, which led to Skinner’s return for Sport 3.

Within the time since Skinner’s reentry, he has develop into one of many Oilers’ most essential gamers. Skinner shut out the Golden Knights for the ultimate two video games and in addition had a shutout towards the Stars within the convention finals.

Getting a pair of shutouts answered some questions. There have been nonetheless issues about whether or not the Oilers may win if Skinner wasn’t excellent and did not document a shutout. He answered these questions by posting a .920 save proportion over the ultimate three video games of the convention finals to slam the door shut on Dallas. — Clark

Panthers: 9/10

Bobrovsky has levelled up in each sequence Florida has performed this postseason — and his most up-to-date numbers are more and more absurd.

Via 5 video games towards Tampa Bay within the first spherical and the primary three video games towards Toronto within the second spherical, Bobrovsky was 5-3, with an .875 save proportion and a couple of.94 goals-against common. Common stuff. One thing clicked within the second spherical, and Playoff Bob went bonkers; in Video games 4-7 towards the Leafs and all the Jap Convention finals, Bobrovsky went 7-2, with a .944 SV% and 1.34 objectives towards common. Oh, and he had two shutouts in that stretch.

Bobrovsky’s “worst” efficiency previously two weeks was Sport 5 towards Carolina, when he gave up three objectives on 20 photographs, probably the most markers he has allowed since Sport 3 towards Toronto.

Bobrovsky has confirmed his mettle repeatedly. He has skilled success and failure on a Cup Remaining run (bear in mind he was pulled from Sport 4 final 12 months, a brutal 8-1 Panthers loss). Bobrovsky is a veteran netminder on the high of his sport and can attempt to get the higher of Skinner once more on this 12 months’s goaltending matchup. — Shilton

X elements for the Cup Remaining

Oilers

How will they handle with out Zach Hyman for an entire sequence? Hyman led the Oilers with 16 objectives final postseason. He has contributed differently this season, in that he has been their most bodily participant. Hyman was main the NHL this postseason with 111 hits and added one other dimension to what was an already layered workforce.

The harm he sustained in Sport 4 towards Dallas means he’ll miss the rest of the playoffs. It is a loss that created issues similar to: Who fills that bodily void? Who fills in on the highest six? Who takes his spot on the ability play?

Of their first sport with out Hyman, the Oilers as soon as once more relied on their depth to fill that absence. That they had 5 forwards end with greater than 5 hits, whereas two of these skaters — Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen — scored within the series-clinching Sport 5. However that is to not say Hyman was the one Oilers skater who has a bodily edge to their sport. Coming into the Sport 1 of the Remaining, the Oilers have 5 gamers who’re within the high 25 in hits this postseason. — Clark

Panthers

How will Florida’s stars stack up towards Edmonton’s? The Panthers, as famous above, have 19 aim scorers this postseason. So do the Oilers. There’s depth to spare on either side of this one.

However, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are first and second in playoff scoring (with 26 and 25 factors, respectively). The Panthers’ high two level getters are Aleksander Barkov (with 17) and Sam Bennett (16). And Bennett can be Florida’s goal-scoring chief with 10; he is the one Panther with a double-digit whole.

Florida wants Barkov, Bennett, Sam Reinhart (4 objectives and 13 factors), Carter Verhaeghe (six objectives and 14 factors) and Matthew Tkachuk (5 objectives and 16 factors) all rolling from the outset on this sequence. The Oilers are opportunistic, explosive and simply as harmful five-on-five as on the ability play. How Florida counters to not solely maintain Edmonton’s stars at bay however persistently activate its personal might be the deciding issue on this matchup. — Shilton

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Large questions earlier than Sport 1

The Oilers have made main changes all through the playoffs, similar to those that helped them rally from an 0-2 sequence gap towards the Kings. Or the changes made after they silenced the Golden Knights, who have been within the high 5 in objectives per sport within the common season, over the ultimate two video games of the sequence. Plus the way in which they went from giving up six objectives to the Stars in Sport 1 of the convention finals to permitting solely 5 objectives mixed for the ultimate 4 video games of the sequence.

There’s how they managed to seek out defensive continuity with out Ekholm. There’s the way in which they went from Skinner to Pickard and again to Skinner to return to the Cup Remaining — the place they will be lacking Hyman.

Will these changes be the distinction between a repeat of final season’s defeat and successful all of it for the primary time since 1990? — Clark

How will penalties affect this sequence?

Florida toes the road — with out going over it — higher than any workforce within the league. The Panthers additionally spend a major period of time within the field. Can the Panthers discover the fitting steadiness between the 2 right here, figuring out the Oilers have a dominant energy play that simply scored six objectives on the person benefit — at the least one per sport — within the Western Convention finals towards Dallas?

Florida is probably the most penalized workforce within the playoff area (by a large margin), and that is simply half and parcel for a bodily targeted workforce that is additionally averaging probably the most hits (47.05 per sport) within the postseason. Florida has additionally drawn extra penalties than any workforce.

It is an intriguing dynamic that might go considered one of two methods for the Panthers. Will they frustrate the Oilers whereas staying on the fitting facet of the officers? Or will Edmonton’s dynamism pressure the Panthers into overstepping their boundaries?

Particular groups all of the sudden loom massive. Edmonton has the power-play edge, whereas Florida has the penalty-killing prowess. The back-and-forth and potential for gamesmanship will likely be fascinating. — Shilton

Sport 1 greatest bets

Anton Lundell over 0.5 whole assists (+210): Traditionally, the Oilers have most well-liked Connor McDavid’s line versus Matthew Tkachuk’s after they management final change, which they may to begin the sequence in Edmonton. The Panthers, in the meantime, lean on Aleksander Barkov to verify McDavid after they have that benefit. All that top-line jockeying leaves Edmonton with fewer choices to include the trio of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen. That line has been dominant at 5-on-5, with 10 objectives scored and simply two allowed this postseason.

Vasily Podkolzin over 4.5 whole hits (+115): The Oilers have been far more bodily on this 12 months’s run, seemingly a lesson realized after falling to the punishing Panthers final spring. In restricted minutes (10:53 per sport), Podkolzin has delivered 74 hits over 16 video games, and is averaging 5.0 per evening at residence. He is a superb wager to maintain that tempo.

Eetu Luostarinen over 0.5 whole objectives (+650): In case you are searching for an extended shot to gasoline the payout on a same-game parlay, taking Luostarinen for a aim is a good gamble. He has the second-most 5-on-5 objectives for the Panthers this postseason (4) and second-most high-danger scoring probabilities (17, per NaturalStatTrick), however has for much longer odds than the Panthers main these respective classes (Lundell at +360 and Carter Verhaeghe at +230). — Sean Allen