2025 Stanley Cup Final: Early Look at Panthers-Oilers II

The stage is set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers will face off against the Edmonton Oilers for hockey`s ultimate prize.

Following last year`s intense showdown, the question looms: can this rematch live up to the original, or perhaps even surpass it? Crucially for Canadian fans, can the Oilers triumph and end the nation`s Stanley Cup drought, which dates back to 1993?

Here`s an early preview of the series, covering the schedule, betting odds, and key notes on both teams and the matchup, compiled with insights.

Paths to the Final:

Oilers: Defeated Kings in six, Golden Knights in five, Stars in five
Panthers: Defeated Lightning in five, Maple Leafs in seven, Hurricanes in five

Schedule:

Game 1: Panthers at Oilers, June 4, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2: Panthers at Oilers, June 6, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Oilers at Panthers, June 9, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Oilers at Panthers, June 12, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Panthers at Oilers, June 14, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 6: Oilers at Panthers, June 17, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 7: Panthers at Oilers, June 20, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)

Betting odds provided:

Cup winner:
Oilers: -115
Panthers: -105

Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP):
Connor McDavid (EDM): -110
Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA): +250
Aleksander Barkov (FLA): +425
Leon Draisaitl (EDM): +800
Matthew Tkachuk (FLA): +2500
Sam Bennett (FLA): +3000

This marks the 12th time in NHL history that the same two teams meet in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, the fifth such instance in the expansion era (post-1967), and the first since the 2008-09 seasons.

Interestingly, the last two rematches (Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings in 2008-09 and Edmonton Oilers vs. New York Islanders in 1983-84) saw Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky, respectively, claim their first Stanley Cup. Could this bode well for Connor McDavid?

Superstitions abound: the Panthers avoided touching the Prince of Wales Trophy last year before winning the Cup, a change from their previous two appearances (1996, 2023) where they touched it and lost. The Oilers, conversely, chose to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl this year, breaking with their 2006 and 2024 tradition of *not* touching it before losing the final in seven games.

Last year`s series saw the Panthers take a commanding 3-0 series lead, outscoring Edmonton 11-4. However, the Oilers mounted a furious comeback, winning the next three games with a combined score of 18-5. The decisive Game 7 was a tight affair, with Florida ultimately prevailing 2-1, sealed by Sam Reinhart`s goal at 15:11 of the second period.

During the 2024-25 regular season, the Panthers won both contests against the Oilers: a 6-5 victory at home on December 16th and a 4-3 win in Edmonton on February 27th.

Remarkably, this final features the top four selections from the 2014 NHL entry draft: Aaron Ekblad (1st, FLA), Sam Reinhart (2nd, BUF), Leon Draisaitl (3rd, EDM), and Sam Bennett (4th, CGY). This is only the second time in NHL history that the top four picks from the same draft class (skaters or goalies) will participate in a final, the other instance being last year`s series between these same two teams.

Edmonton Oilers

This marks the Oilers` ninth appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, placing them seventh overall in NHL history and first among non-Original Six franchises, surpassing the Philadelphia Flyers (eight).

Edmonton is the eighth team in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to reach the Stanley Cup Final after losing their first two games of the opening series. All seven previous teams who achieved this feat went on to win the Stanley Cup, including the 2014 Los Angeles Kings, who are the only team in NHL history to come back from an 0-3 deficit and win the Cup.

Connor McDavid boasts a career average of 1.73 points per game against the Panthers (including playoffs), the highest rate against the franchise among players with at least 20 games played. This places him ahead of legends like Joe Sakic (1.44), Peter Forsberg (1.43), and Mario Lemieux (1.32).

After a challenging start to the postseason with three consecutive losses, goaltender Stuart Skinner has found his form, going 6-1 in his last seven starts with impressive stats: a 1.41 goals-against average, a .944 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-tenured player on the current Oilers roster, has the opportunity to become only the second player in NHL history to win his first Stanley Cup with the franchise where he spent his first 14 or more seasons. Steve Yzerman accomplished this with Detroit in 1997 during his 14th season.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers become the ninth franchise in NHL history, and only the second in the last 40 years (after the 2020-22 Lightning), to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons.

Florida is aiming to become the 10th franchise in NHL history, and the eighth in the expansion era, to successfully defend the Stanley Cup title.

Entering Game 1, the Panthers are on a hot streak on the road, having won their last five playoff games away from home. During this stretch, they have outscored opponents 27-7 and boast a power play efficiency of 42.9% (6-for-14).

Over their last 10 playoff games, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been outstanding, posting a 1.57 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage, and two shutouts. He begins the 2025 Final with 57 career playoff victories, trailing only Andrei Vasilevskiy (67) among active goalies.

Carter Verhaeghe netted his third career series-clinching goal in the Eastern Conference Final. He now ranks third among active players in this category, behind Max Pacioretty and Artturi Lehkonen (both with four). His 12 career playoff game-winning goals are double the amount of the next highest player in Panthers history (Matthew Tkachuk, six).

Sam Bennett was the first player to reach 10 goals in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring in Game 5 against Carolina. He achieved this milestone faster than all but one player in franchise history (Dave Lowry, 15 games in 1996). Bennett`s 10 goals are currently tied for the third-highest single-postseason total in Panthers history, behind Carter Verhaeghe (2024) and Matthew Tkachuk (2023), who each had 11.