It all comes down to this.
For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will be held in the Stanley Cup final and have the chance to hoist the ultimate hockey award.
“You’ve been thinking about it all summer,” forward Matthew Tokachuk said of the Cup final. “I think about this moment of coming back and the opportunity to compete. It’s very difficult to get there. And if you ask us both (Florida and Edmonton) mid-summer, we have the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup rematch.
Hoping to repeat last year’s results, the Panthers grabbed their first Stanley Cup in a seven-game classic in their previous fight with the Oilers.
Setting up another showdown will build a storyline to be the 10th team, repeating the Panthers to win the Cup in back-to-back seasons, and repeating the push of Edmonton’s dynamic duo and Conor McDavid and Leon Draysightle first.
There’s everything you need to know ahead of the final Stanley Cup matchup.
Playoff basics
Panthers (3a): 12-5 | Lightning in 4-1 Round 1, 4-3 Round 2 Maple Leaf 4-3, 4-1, and 4-1 Hurricane in the Eastern Conference Finals
Oilers (3p): 12-4 | King of 4-2 Round 1, 4-1 Round 2 Golden Knights 4-1, 4-1, and star in Western Conference Finals
Attack: FLA: 3.88 gf/gp; 23.2%pp | EDM: 4.06 gf/gp; 30.0%pp
Defense: FLA: 2.29 Ga/gp; 87.9%pk | EDM: 1.80 ga/gp; 66.0%pk
Advanced Playoff Numbers (5 vs. 5)
Panthers: 53.73 cf%, 62.67 gf%, 54.96 xgf%, 53.08 hdcf%
Euler: 51.88 CF%, 61.76 GF%, 54.42 XGF%, 56.84 HDCF%
Playoff-leading scorer
Panthers: Alexander Barkov (6 goals, 11 assists), Sam Bennett (10 goals, 6 assists), Matthew Tokachuk (5 goals, 11 assists), Brad Merchand (4 goals, 10 assists), Carter Verhege (6 goals, 8 assists)
Oilers: Conor McDavid (6 goals, 20 assists), Leon Dry Saitole (7 goals, 18 assists), Ryan Nugent Hopkins (5 goals, 13 assists), Evan Buchard (6 goals, 11 assists), Evander Kane (5 goals, 6 assists)
Breakdown: It’s no surprise that these two teams have made the finals again. Throughout the three rounds, both the Panthers and Euler achieved their goals from 19 different players. Each captain led the way with points and with each top six forward, the depth scorer was able to determine this series. After a hit in the Western Conference Finals, the Oilers undergo season-ending surgery, without Zach Heyman, who scored 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 15 games.
Playoff goalkeeper matchup
Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky (12-5, 2.11 GAA, .912 SV%)
Oilers: Stuart Skinner (6-4, 2.53GAA, .904 SV%)
Breakdown: Showing his incredible conditioning, Bobrovsky got better in each round. No, 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricane. 72 recorded a save percentage of .935, 1.69 goals – average, one shutout. In the series victory, the Panthers netminder had only one game with a .920 save percentage of less than one game. Kitakami was a two-playoff story for Skinner. In his first six games, Skinner allowed four goals and posted two shutouts. Heating in the Western Conference Finals with Star averaged 2.01 goals, 0.924 save percentage with one shutout, 2.01 goals and one shutout while Skinner was ahead 4-1.
Playoff X Factor
Panthers: Battle against fire with fire. Opposed to one of the league’s best power plays, the Panthers have a lot of firepower. Finding the back of the net three times each, Bennett, Tkachuk and Verhaeghe are ranked first with the Panthers in power play goals. Though it’s not the only one that contributes to The Man Advantage, the Panthers have six different players scored at least one goal. Don’t be afraid of the road, the Panthers are leaving these playoffs away from home for a league-leading 42.9% power play.
Oilers: Oilers Penalty Kill Play could be an indicator of how the series progresses. One of the NHL’s best home penalty kills during the 2025 playoffs, the Oilers own a success rate of 83.3% at Rogers Place. Conversely, 55.2% murders on the road ranked last (among teams who played multiple rounds). For the stars, the Oilers allowed five power play targets on 14 occasions.
Regular season
If the regular season shows potential for a Stanley Cup final, fans should succumb.
A pair of one-goal contests, the Panthers played both games against the Oilers in the regular season.
On the road, a third-term late goal from Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 6-5 victory at Rogers Place on December 16th.
Meeting again at Amerant Bank Arena on February 27th, the Panthers scored a 4-3 victory behind two goals from Nate Schmidt and Verhaeghe.
With the victory, Anton Landell achieved a performance of three points (goals, two assists).
“Both teams are deeper this year,” coach Paul Maurice said. “So, for them, it’s a change for us. I think they’re in line with their defensive structure. In fact, we’re going a little further in offensive structures. If you look clearly at the strength of last year, you’ll say their offensive game was elite.
The final schedule of the Eastern Conference
Game 1 | Wednesday, June 4th | Edmonton Oilers’ Florida Panthers | 8pm ET | Rogers Place | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 2 | Friday, June 6th | Edmonton Oilers’ Florida Panthers | 8pm ET | Rogers Place | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 3 | Monday, June 9th | Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers | 8pm ET | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 4 | Thursday, June 12th | Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers | 8pm ET | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 5 | Saturday, June 14th | Edmonton Oilers’ Florida Panthers | 8pm ET | Rogers Place | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 6 | Tuesday, June 17th | Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers | 8pm ET | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 7 | Friday, June 20th | Edmonton Oilers’ Florida Panthers | 8pm ET | Rogers Place | TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS
*as needed
Important Quotes
“When I go there, it was one of the biggest buildings I’ve ever played. When they’re bustling in their arena, it’s really loud and loud. It’s a really cool environment to play. I’m really excited last year.” – Carter Verhoge, who knows what to expect at Rogers Place
“We’re against the world, that’s how it feels” – Gustav abandons his team mentality
“It’s exciting. I hope you get to this point. Obviously, we’ve been doing great things and have played well so far. – Brad Merchand, who has reached the Cup Final
The lineup projected by the Panthers (for changes)
forward
Evan Rodriguez – Alexander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Jesper Boqvist – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defender
Gustav Farsling – Aaron Eckblood
Nico Miccola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kurikov
Goaltender
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Euler’s projection lineup (for changes)
forward
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Conor McDavid – Corey Perry
Evander Kane – Leon Draysithle – Kasperi Kapanen
Vasily Podkolzin – Mattias Janmark – Viktor Arvidsson
Jeff Skinner – Adam Henrique – Trent Frederick
Defender
Matthias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Brett Crack
Jake Walman – John Klingberg
Goaltender
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Picard
