The Stanley Cup playoffs are one of the most demanding tournaments in professional sports. Therefore, a team reaching the Final in back-to-back years is quite rare. Even rarer is when the same two teams face off again in consecutive Cup Finals.
Yet, this is precisely the situation in 2025. Following a dramatic seven-game series in 2024, where the Florida Panthers initially led 3-0 before the Edmonton Oilers clawed back the next three games, only for Florida to win Game 7 for their first franchise Cup, these two teams are once more set to battle, beginning with Game 1 on Wednesday.
How do these teams compare to their 2024 versions? How confident should each side be in their goaltender`s current form? What are the potential game-changing factors and major questions looming over this rematch?
Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton provide a detailed comparison of the teams ahead of this highly anticipated sequel.
How Are These Teams Better Than Last Season?
Oilers
Edmonton appears to have developed a more ruthless edge, likely a consequence of their defeat against Florida in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers came close to achieving an historic NHL comeback, only to lose Game 7 after falling into a three-game deficit early in the series.
In this postseason, they`ve demonstrated mastery in mounting comebacks while also preventing opponents from doing the same. They lost the first two games of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings but then won four straight. In Game 1 of the second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, they fell behind by two goals before securing a Stanley Cup playoff record with their fifth consecutive comeback victory. Even after the Golden Knights scored late to win Game 3, the Oilers shut them out in the final two games of that series.
This pattern continued in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. After the Stars scored six consecutive goals to take Game 1, the Oilers allowed a total of just five goals over the subsequent four games to advance to the Cup Final.
Panthers
Florida possessed good depth last season, but this year, their depth is exceptional.
They`ve had 19 different players score goals this postseason, compared to 15 in the 2024 playoffs. Florida is also averaging more goals per game (3.88) and conceding fewer (2.29) than before. Their power play has seen a significant improvement (23.2% success rate compared to 18.5%), and their penalty kill (87.9%) is the best among all playoff teams.
The Panthers` collective dedication to defense has been particularly noticeable. They`ve allowed fewer shots this year and have effectively shut down some of the league`s most potent offensive teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who led the NHL in regular-season scoring, managed only 12 goals across five games in their first-round series against Florida. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky`s statistics are also stronger now than a year ago.
General Manager Bill Zito made key additions to the Panthers` roster, bringing in Brad Marchand, who has been an outstanding asset on the third line, and Seth Jones, a productive force on the defense. Florida has successfully blended physicality and skill, making them a challenging opponent for every team they`ve faced so far.
How Are These Teams Worse Than Last Season?
Oilers
The Oilers previously had a penalty kill unit that was among the best in league history, but it has struggled at times this year. A major factor in their run to the Cup Final last season was a penalty kill operating at an impressive 94.3% success rate. While they`ve returned to the Final, their short-handed performance this postseason has been successful only 66% of the time, ranking as the third-worst rate in the playoffs.
What accounts for this difference? Primarily, it`s personnel changes. Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, and Ryan McLeod were integral players who were also in the top eight for short-handed ice time for the Oilers last postseason. All three played elsewhere this season.
Then there`s the situation with Mattias Ekholm. He led the Oilers with 68:49 of short-handed ice time last postseason, over 12 minutes more than the next player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The good news for Edmonton is that Ekholm returned to the lineup in Game 5 against the Stars after missing the early part of the playoffs due to an undisclosed injury.
Panthers
Frankly, it`s difficult to find significant faults with the Panthers. However, there have been some moments where Florida looked less than championship-caliber.
Early in the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida showed vulnerability defending against rushes from top-tier talents. This issue reappeared in Games 4 and 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes, where Florida seemed slower-footed and more prone to turnovers against faster forwards.
This isn`t an area where the Panthers struggled as much last season. Florida is averaging more giveaways per 60 minutes this postseason (12.23) compared to last year (9.67). Edmonton`s speed and skill are capable of forcing such errors. Therefore, managing and protecting the puck will be paramount for the Panthers in this series.
Goaltender Confidence Ratings
Oilers: 8.5/10
May 10 marked a turning point for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner. That was the day coach Kris Knoblauch reinstated Skinner for Game 3 against the Golden Knights.
Knoblauch had previously benched Skinner after he allowed 12 goals in the first two games of the preceding series against the Kings, leading to Calvin Pickard taking over. However, Pickard sustained an injury in Game 2 against the Golden Knights, necessitating Skinner`s return for Game 3.
Since rejoining the lineup, Skinner has become one of the Oilers` most vital players. He shut out the Golden Knights in the final two games of that series and also recorded a shutout against the Stars in the conference final.
While the shutouts answered some questions, concerns remained about whether the Oilers could win games where Skinner wasn`t perfect and didn`t register a shutout. He addressed these doubts by posting a .920 save percentage over the final three games of the conference final, effectively closing the door on Dallas.
Panthers: 9/10
Sergei Bobrovsky`s performance has significantly improved in each series Florida has played this postseason, and his recent statistics are incredibly impressive.
Through five games against Tampa Bay in the first round and the first three games against Toronto in the second round, Bobrovsky`s numbers were average: a 5-3 record, an .875 save percentage, and a 2.94 goals-against average. However, something clicked in the second round, and `Playoff Bob` became spectacular; in Games 4-7 against the Leafs and throughout the entire Eastern Conference Final against Carolina, Bobrovsky went 7-2 with a remarkable .944 save percentage and a 1.34 goals-against average, including two shutouts in that period.
Bobrovsky`s weakest performance in the recent weeks was Game 5 against Carolina, where he allowed three goals on 20 shots – the most he has given up since Game 3 against Toronto.
Bobrovsky has repeatedly proven his resilience and skill. He has experienced both success and failure during a Cup Final run (including being pulled in last year`s Game 4, an 8-1 Panthers loss). Bobrovsky is an experienced veteran goaltender currently playing at the top of his game, ready to face off against Skinner once more in this year`s goaltending matchup.
X Factors for the Cup Final
Oilers
How will they cope without Zach Hyman for an entire series? Hyman led the Oilers with 16 goals last postseason. This season, his contribution has been different, becoming their most physical player. Hyman led the NHL in hits this postseason with 111 before his injury, adding another dimension to an already layered team.
The injury he sustained in Game 4 against Dallas means he will miss the remainder of the playoffs. His absence raises questions: Who will step up to provide physicality? Who will fill his spot in the top six forward group? Who takes his place on the power play?
In their first game without Hyman, the Oilers relied on their depth to compensate. Five forwards finished with more than five hits, and two of those players – Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen – scored in the series-clinching Game 5. However, Hyman wasn`t the only Oilers skater with a physical edge. Heading into Game 1 of the Final, the Oilers have five players ranked in the top 25 for hits this postseason.
Panthers
How will Florida`s star players measure up against Edmonton`s? As noted, the Panthers have had 19 different goal scorers this postseason. The Oilers have the same number. There is no shortage of scoring depth on either side.
However, Edmonton`s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the top two scorers in the playoffs (with 26 and 25 points respectively). The Panthers` top two point producers are Aleksander Barkov (with 17) and Sam Bennett (16). Bennett is also Florida`s leader in goals with 10, the only Panther with a double-digit total.
For Florida to succeed, their core offensive players – Barkov, Bennett, Sam Reinhart (four goals, 13 points), Carter Verhaeghe (six goals, 14 points), and Matthew Tkachuk (five goals, 16 points) – must consistently produce from the beginning of the series. The Oilers are opportunistic, explosive, and equally dangerous at even strength and on the power play. Florida`s ability to not only contain Edmonton`s stars but also consistently activate their own top players could be the deciding factor in this matchup.
Big Questions Before Game 1
Oilers
Can a team defined by its ability to adjust continue to make the correct ones? The Oilers have made significant adjustments throughout the playoffs, such as those that helped them rally from a 2-0 series deficit against the Kings. They also adjusted to silence the Golden Knights – a top-five scoring team in the regular season – over the final two games of that series. Furthermore, they transformed from giving up six goals to the Stars in Game 1 of the conference final to allowing only five goals combined over the next four games.
They also managed to find defensive cohesion despite Ekholm`s absence and navigated their goaltending situation by going from Skinner to Pickard and back to Skinner to return to the Cup Final. Now, they face adjusting to Hyman`s injury.
Will their consistent ability to adapt be the difference between repeating last season`s defeat and winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990?
Panthers
How will penalties impact this series? Florida plays physically and spends a significant amount of time in the penalty box, being the most penalized team in the playoffs by a considerable margin. This is partly due to their style, as they also average the most hits (47.05 per game) in the postseason. Interestingly, Florida has also drawn more penalties than any other team.
This creates an intriguing dynamic that could unfold in two ways for the Panthers. Will they be able to frustrate the Oilers with their physicality while remaining on the right side of the officials? Or will Edmonton`s speed and dynamism force the Panthers into taking penalties that prove costly?
Special teams suddenly become a critical area. Edmonton holds the edge on the power play, while Florida boasts superior penalty killing prowess. The back-and-forth exchanges and potential for gamesmanship related to penalties will be fascinating to watch and could play a significant role in the outcome.
