The Stanley Cup Rematch: Panthers vs. Oilers in an Epic Final
The Stanley Cup playoffs are undoubtedly one of the most demanding competitions in the world of sports. Therefore, it is not common to see a team reach the Final in consecutive years. And it is even more unusual for the same teams to face each other in consecutive finals. But that is exactly what will happen in 2025.Following an exciting seven-game series in 2024, where the Florida Panthers, who managed to lead 3-0, lost three games to the Edmonton Oilers, ultimately winning Game 7 and securing their first title, both teams are preparing for a new showdown, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday.
How have the teams changed since 2024? How confident are the goalkeepers? And what are the key factors and big questions for each club in this rematch?
We analyze the details of this anticipated final.
How have these teams improved compared to last season?
Oilers
Edmonton seems more relentless, likely due to what happened last season against Florida in the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers came close to pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history, but they lost Game 7 after falling into a three-game deficit at the start of the series. This postseason has seen them master comebacks, while also knowing how to prevent the opponent from doing the same. They lost the first two games of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings before winning four straight. They opened Game 1 of the second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights by conceding the first two goals before setting a Stanley Cup playoffs record with their fifth consecutive comeback win. Even with the Golden Knights scoring a last-second goal to win Game 3, the Oilers shut them out during the final two games of the series. That trend continued when they played against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals.Panthers
Florida already had good depth last season. This time, the Panthers have great depth. They’ve had 19 different players score this postseason compared to 15 in the 2024 playoffs. Florida is also averaging more goals (3.88 per game) and conceding fewer goals (2.29) than before, while their power play has been notably more productive (23.2% vs. 18.5%) and their penalty kill (87.9%) is the best in the playoffs. The Panthers’ collective defense has been remarkable. They have conceded fewer shots this time and have managed to stop some of the league’s most outstanding offensive teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning led the NHL in scoring in the regular season, but only managed 12 goals in five games during their first-round series against Florida. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s numbers are better now than last season.
How have these teams worsened compared to last season?
Oilers
The Oilers had a penalty kill that was one of the best in league history, but now it struggles at times. Part of their path to the Cup Final last season was due to a penalty kill that had a 94.3% success rate. The Oilers are back in the Final again, with the reality that their shorthanded performances have succeeded only 66% of the time, which ranks as the third-worst rate this postseason. So, what’s different? Namely, it’s their personnel. Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, and Ryan McLeod were integral players who were also among the top eight in shorthanded minutes for the Oilers last season. All three played elsewhere this season. Then there are the circumstances surrounding Mattias Ekholm. He led the Oilers with 68:49 in shorthanded ice time last season, and was more than 12 minutes ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was second. The good news for Edmonton? Ekholm returned to the team in Game 5 against the Stars after missing the entirety of the playoffs up to that point recovering from an undisclosed injury.
Panthers
Frankly, it’s hard to find fault with the Panthers. But there have been a few mistakes where Florida looked less worthy of a championship. The first games of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs showed Florida’s vulnerabilities defending against top-tier talent. That problem resurfaced in Games 4 and 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes, when Florida looked more clumsy and prone to turnovers against faster forwards. That’s one area the Panthers didn’t have as many problems with last season: Florida is averaging more turnovers per 60 minutes this postseason (12.23) compared to last season (9.67), and Edmonton is capable of forcing errors with its speed and skill. Puck handling, and its protection, will be paramount for the Panthers.
Goalkeepers’ Trust Ratings
Oilers: 8.5/10
The 10th of May is the day everything changed for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner. That is the day Kris Knoblauch brought Skinner back for Game 3 against the Golden Knights. Knoblauch had benched Skinner after he allowed 12 goals in the first two games of the previous series against the Kings, leading to Calvin Pickard taking over. However, Pickard suffered an injury in Game 2 against the Golden Knights, leading to Skinner’s return for Game 3. Since Skinner’s return, he has become one of the most important players for the Oilers. Skinner held the Golden Knights scoreless for the final two games and also had a shutout against the Stars in the conference finals. Getting a couple of shutouts answered some questions. Doubts still existed about whether the Oilers could win if Skinner wasn’t perfect and didn’t record a shutout. He answered those questions by recording a .920 save percentage in the final three games of the conference finals to shut the door on Dallas.Panthers: 9/10
Bobrovsky has leveled up in every series Florida has played this postseason, and his most recent numbers are increasingly absurd. In five games against Tampa Bay in the first round and the first three games against Toronto in the second round, Bobrovsky was 5-3, with a save percentage of .875 and a goals-against average of 2.94. Average stuff. Something clicked in the second round, and Playoff Bob went wild; in games 4-7 against the Leafs and all of the Eastern Conference Finals, Bobrovsky was 7-2, with a save percentage of .944 and a goals-against average of 1.34. Oh, and he had two shutouts in that stretch. Bobrovsky’s “worst” performance in the last two weeks was Game 5 against Carolina, when he conceded three goals on 20 shots, the most goals he has allowed since Game 3 against Toronto. Bobrovsky has proven himself time and again. He has experienced success and failure in a run to the Cup Final (remember he was pulled from Game 4 last year, a brutal 8-1 loss for the Panthers). Bobrovsky is a veteran goalie at the top of his game and will try to outplay Skinner again in this year’s goalie matchup.X Factors for the Cup Final
Oilers
How will they manage without Zach Hyman for the entire series? Hyman led the Oilers with 16 goals last season. He has contributed in a different way this season, as he has been their most physical player. Hyman led the NHL this postseason with 111 hits and added another dimension to what was already a layered team. The injury he suffered in Game 4 against Dallas means he will miss the rest of the playoffs. It’s a loss that generated concerns like: Who fills that physical void? Who steps into the top six? Who takes his place on the power play? In their first game without Hyman, the Oilers once again relied on their depth to fill that absence. They had five forwards who finished with more than five hits, while two of those skaters, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen, scored in Game 5 of the series. But that’s not to say that Hyman was the only Oilers skater who has a physical edge to his game. Entering Game 1 of the Final, the Oilers have five players who are in the top 25 in hits this postseason.
Panthers
How will the Florida stars face those of Edmonton? The Panthers, as noted above, have 19 goalscorers this postseason. So do the Oilers. There is plenty of depth on both sides of this match. But, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton are first and second in playoff scoring (with 26 and 25 points, respectively). The top two scorers for the Panthers are Aleksander Barkov (with 17) and Sam Bennett (16). And Bennett is also Florida’s leading scorer with 10; he is the only 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) to keep going from the start in this series. The Oilers are opportunistic, explosive, and just as dangerous five-on-five as they are on the power play. How Florida counters to not only keep Edmonton’s stars at bay but to constantly activate their own could be the deciding factor in this matchup.
Big questions before Game 1
Can a team defined by its adjustments keep making the right ones? The Oilers have made big adjustments throughout the playoffs, like the ones that helped them recover from an 0-2 hole in the series against the Kings. Or the adjustments made when they silenced the Golden Knights, who were among the top five in goals per game in the regular season, during the last two games of the series. In addition to the way they went from conceding six goals to the Stars in Game 1 of the conference finals to allowing only five combined goals for the last four games of the series. There’s the way they managed to find defensive continuity without Ekholm. There’s the way they went from Skinner to Pickard and back to Skinner to return to the Cup Final, where they will miss Hyman. Will those adjustments be the difference between repeating last season’s defeat and winning it all for the first time since 1990?
How will penalties influence this series? Florida walks the line, without exceeding it, better than any team in the league. The Panthers also spend a significant amount of time in the penalty box. Can the Panthers find the right balance between the two here, knowing that the Oilers have a dominant power play that just scored six goals with the man advantage, at least one per game, in the Western Conference Finals against Dallas? Florida is the most penalized team in the playoffs (by a wide margin), and that’s just an integral part of a physically focused team that is also averaging the most hits (47.05 per game) in the postseason. Florida has also taken more penalties than any team. It’s an intriguing dynamic that could take one of two directions for the Panthers. Will they frustrate the Oilers while staying on the right side of the officials? Or will Edmonton’s dynamism force the Panthers to overstep? Special teams suddenly loom large. Edmonton has the edge on the power play, while Florida has the prowess on the penalty killing. The back and forth and the potential for strategic play will be fascinating.
Best Bets for Game 1
- Anton Lundell over 0.5 total assists (+210): Historically, the Oilers have preferred the Connor McDavid line against Matthew Tkachuk’s when they control the last change, which they will to start the series in Edmonton. The Panthers, for their part, rely on Aleksander Barkov to mark McDavid when they have that advantage. All that top-line play leaves Edmonton with fewer options to contain the trio of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Eetu Luostarinen. That line has been dominant at 5-on-5, with 10 goals scored and only two conceded this postseason.
- Vasily Podkolzin over 4.5 total hits (+115): The Oilers have been much more physical in this year’s run, likely a lesson learned after falling to the relentless Panthers last spring. In limited minutes (10:53 per game), Podkolzin has delivered 74 hits in 16 games and averages 5.0 per night at home. It’s a good bet to keep that pace.
- Eetu Luostarinen over 0.5 total goals (+650): If you’re looking for a longer shot to fuel the payout in a same-game parlay, taking Luostarinen for a goal is a fair bet. He has the second-most goals at 5-on-5 for the Panthers this postseason (four) and the second-most high-danger scoring chances (17, according to NaturalStatTrick), but he has much longer odds than the Panthers who lead those respective categories (Lundell at +360 and Carter Verhaeghe at +230).
