After almost daily NHL postseason hockey action since the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this past week has been a long one. The Florida Panthers are finally set to face-off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Here is the series schedule:
- Game 1: Saturday, June 8 – Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 2: Monday, June 10 – Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 3: Thursday, June 13 – Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 4: Saturday, June 15 – Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 5: Tuesday, June 18 – Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers (if needed) – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 6: Friday, June 21 – Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers (if needed) – 5 p.m. PT
- Game 7: Monday, June 24 – Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers (if needed) – 5 p.m. PT
There’s a ton of distance between Sunrise and Edmonton, but every time the teams travel between Florida and Edmonton and vice-versa, there will be two days of rest. This could extend the series to a maximum of 17 days. It will be interesting to see how this extended schedule affects the rhythm of the players.
How they got to the Final
The Florida Panthers’ path to the Stanley Cup Final was through the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins, and most recently through the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers. The Panthers have looked like the better team in each series and earned their result. As the higher-seeded team, they will receive home-ice advantage, where they hold a 7-2 record in the playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers’ road to the Stanley Cup Final started in Los Angeles, then went through Vancouver before a hard-fought series against Dallas. Facing a heavily favored Stars team in the Western Conference Finals, Edmonton looked to be hanging on by a thread at times. But hang on they did, winning three straight to close out the series.
Season Series
- Nov. 20 – Florida beat Edmonton 5-3
- Dec. 16 – Florida beat Edmonton 5-1
The Florida Panthers swept the season series, but take that with a grain of salt. With only two games, it is really too small of a sample to take anything meaningful away. Here are some interesting notes from those regular-season matchups:
- Aleksander Barkov only played one of the two games due to injury. Connor McDavid had two goals in the game Barkov missed (Nov. 20). In the Dec. 16 game with Barkov in the Florida lineup, Connor McDavid was limited to one assist.
- Many of the stars for both teams showed up and contributed multiple points in the games between the two teams. However, Matthew Tkachuk was held to a single assist.
- In both games, Edmonton started their backup goaltender, former Seattle Thunderbird, Calvin Pickard.
- After both games, Edmonton would go on to lose one additional game and then rattle off substantial win streaks. After the Nov. 20 loss, the Oilers won eight straight, and after the Dec. 16 loss, they won 16 straight games.
How they match up
It was mentioned in the previous NHL playoff previews that since Kris Knoblauch’s hiring on Nov. 12, the Edmonton Oilers have been the best team in the NHL. They have amassed 58 wins (regular season plus playoffs). The Florida Panthers are second with 55 wins (regular season plus playoffs).
| Florida Panthers (Reg/Playoffs) | Edmonton Oilers (Reg/Playoffs) | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal Differential | +67 / +16 | +56 / +16 |
| Power Play | 23.5% / 23.3% | 26.3% / 37.3% |
| Penalty Kill | 85.2% / 88.2% | 82.2% / 93.9% |
| Goals For Per Game | 3.23 / 3.24 | 3.56 / 3.50 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 2.41 / 2.29 | 2.88 / 2.61 |
| Shots Per Game | 33.7 / 33.2 | 33.8 / 28.9 |
Statistically, the teams were pretty even in the regular season. Both can score and prevent goals. Special teams for Edmonton have been elite, scoring 19 power-play goals while killing 93.9 percent of all penalties.
The Edmonton Oilers led the league in shots per game in the regular season with 33.8 but have lost almost five shots per game during the playoffs. Florida, on the other hand, was second in the league and has continued to maintain its shots on goal in the playoffs. In Edmonton’s last game, it only mustered 10 shots against the Stars and played a defense-first style.
When it comes to scoring, both teams are close and averaging over three goals a game in the playoffs. Florida’s top scorer is Tkachuk with 19 points. Edmonton is top heavy and has four players with 20 points or more.
- Connor McDavid – 5G, 26A, 31 points
- Leon Draisaitl – 10G, 18A, 28 points
- Evan Bouchard – 6G, 21A, 27 points
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 6G, 14A, 20 points
Zach Hyman comes into the Final with 14 goals and four assists for 18 points and gets and honorable mention as a top producer for the Oilers. He leads the playoffs in goals.
What they need to do to win
At this point in the season, both teams have a legitimate claim to win the Stanley Cup. Here are some keys for each team to be able to lift hockey’s greatest prize.
Florida Panthers
- Continue to roll, they have looked liked the better team in every series.
- Play disciplined hockey. The Panthers are not afraid to mix it up, but this year’s playoff team is more reserved than last year’s. Tkachuk and Sam Bennett will do their thing, but they are out there to win games, not to stir up chaos.
- Get more solid play of Sergei Bobrovsky.
Edmonton Oilers
- Special teams need to continue to click.
- Stuart Skinner needs to remain the starter for the entire series and instill confidence for his team.
- Edmonton’s game is focused on a high-octane offense, so they need to keep shooting the puck and not fall into a defensive game that can allow a talented Panthers roster a way back into games.
- McDavid needs to carry on his scoring ways when up against Barkov.
Prediction
Part of this is going with who I want to root for, as either team has a shot to lift the Cup. Connor McDavid is arguably the best hockey player in the world, and having him win a Stanley Cup checks a major box in his career.
I believe the Edmonton Oilers will hoist the Stanley Cup at home in six games over the Florida Panthers.
Sound Of Hockey Patreon NHL Bracket update
The Sound Of Hockey Patreon NHL Bracket Challenge became a little clearer with the elimination of the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers who were picked in a whopping 60.0 percent of the brackets to win the Stanley Cup.
There are two brackets that correctly picked an Oilers versus Panthers Stanley Cup Final. Congratulations to users mipmipmipmip and friend of the pod, dontgoglove. Both users only have one incorrect series pick, but user mipmipmipmip correctly predicted the length of three series and earned nine bonus points to put themselves in first place with 279 points. If Edmonton hoists the Stanley Cup, mipmipmipmip will win the bracket challenge.
However, we will have a tie-break situation on our hands if the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup. With possibly the best bracket name, Garth’s life jacket currently has 179 points and has the Panthers winning the Cup. A Panthers win would give Garth’s life jacket 100 points and move them into a 279-point tie with mipmipmipmip.
If you do not get the reference to Garth’s life jacket, I highly recommend checking out Tenny’s talks on YouTube, where Ryker Garth Evans can be seen wearing a life jacket in a kiddie pool.
Sound Of Hockey picks update
John, Darren, Curtis and myself (Blaiz) picked the Dallas Stars to win the Cup and were incorrect. Shame, Shame, Shame. Cameron Riggers picked the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup and is looking pretty smart at the moment.
To save some face, Curtis and I did pick the Panthers to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. One out of two is not bad.
| Stanley Cup Pick | |
|---|---|
| Cameron Riggers | Edmonton in 7 |
| Darren Brown | Edmonton in 6 |
| John Barr | Panthers in 5 |
| Curtis Isacke | Panthers in 6 |
| Blaiz Grubic | Edmonton in 6 |
Wrap Up
It is an exciting time when the Stanley Cup will come out, and a new champion will be crowned. There are two obvious front runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP, in Connor McDavid for the Edmonton Oilers and Aleksander Barkov for the Florida Panthers. Whichever of those two players has the better series probably leads his team to a championship. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
For a quick AHL update, the Coachella Valley Firebirds are up 3-1 in the AHL Western Conference Finals and could be headed for a repeat of last season’s Calder Cup Finals against the Hersey Bears. The Hersey Bears are also up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, so both teams still have work to do but are in good positions.
I figured āGarthās life jacketā wouldnāt be too obscure for the SOH crew; glad it was appreciated!