NHL Stanley Cup Final Preview
And then there were two. The Eastern Conference Final saw the Florida Panthers grab hold of the series in game 4 and never let go. This is the Florida Panthers’ second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the last 2 years. Last year, as we all know, they were undone by the Vegas Golden Knights. On the other side of the NHL, the West saw the Edmonton Oilers turn their entire season around in a matter of just minutes into Game 4 of the Conference Final, scoring 8 goals to Dallas’ 2 in two games, before hanging on for dear life in their close game 6. The Oilers return to the Stanley Cup Final after 18 years, 10 of which can only be described as the “Decade of Darkness” before the franchise was blessed with who could go down as the greatest player of all time, Connor McDavid. The last time the Oilers won the Cup was the Gretzky-less 1990 team, 3 years before the Florida Panthers would join the league. The Panthers are seeking their 1st ever Stanley Cup in franchise history, and their 2nd crack at it in just 2 years. Skill vs. grit, speed vs. brawn, this series will have it all. Who will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2024?
2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL
Florida Panthers (1st Atlantic Division) vs Edmonton Oilers (2nd Pacific Division
It took until game 4 for the Florida Panthers to take control of their series against the Rangers and never let go. Goalie Bob has fully settled in and is becoming a story of his own, albeit he’s had to be less of a story on this run. The team in front of him had done so well controlling the game in all 3 zones and even when the Rangers had the puck, you just had no worry that they would score. The Panthers have long been considered the nastiest and best team in this tournament, and it’s not hard to see why. They have depth down the lineup, their top guys find ways to make their marks shown in each series, and their goaltending has been more than sufficient to keep this team clicking on all cylinders. The top line for the Panthers is more than getting their work in, with Barkov and Tkachuk leading the charge with 19 points in their 18 games. The depth runs deep, and they are able to run all three lines consistently. The defensive side of the game speaks for itself, Barkov looks like what can only be considered the perennial Selke Finalist for years to come. The backend has been nasty, and it showed in that series against the Rangers. The Rangers were outworked and out muscled throughout the entire series, and it wasn’t even close. Their PK was incredible, against a pretty damn good PP merchant team in New York. The defense will need to be even better as they face a team with undoubtedly better top-end talent.
The Edmonton Oilers went down 2-1 to the Dallas Stars, dropping 2 games back-to-back. And 5 minutes into Game 4 the Oilers season was looking like it was crashing and burning. Soon after, we saw the Oilers take full control of Game 4 and completely dominate Game 5, before playing a pretty weak game but enough to finish the series. McDavid took control of a series, and it only took this long for him to look like the Connor McDavid we have been waiting for. The top end talent on the Oilers side looks incredible, as expected, but this is beyond expectations perhaps. Connor McDavid currently holds the scoring lead with 31 points in just 18 games. Followed very close behind is fellow center Leon Draisaitl with 28 and behind that is defenseman Evan Bouchard with 27 points, quite a feat for a defenseman. The Oilers have also managed to tap into their depth with scoring coming from players like Adam Henrique, Dylan Holloway, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins. Players like Connor Brown have completely rewritten their stories from the regular season, playing hard, important minutes and playing very well defensively. Stu Skinner has done amazing work to settle in and give his team a chance to win every night, and that’s all this Oilers team really needs. The Oilers have been huge beneficiaries of an incredible Penalty Kill that is clicking at nearly 95% and have successfully killed 28 penalties in a row, only allowing 3 all playoffs so far. Coupled with their historic Power Play, the Oilers will need to continue their work to draw penalties and continue to kill ones they infract, as those moments can be incredible momentum shifts.
This Stanley Cup Final will showcase a team who has yet to hoist their 1st cup, and another who hasn’t hoisted since 1990. The Oilers will need their special teams to give them the momentum swings in key moments. Bobrovsky has been incredible all playoffs and the moments the Oilers have to take advantage of scoring opportunities will need to be finished. The Panthers are a deeper team, plain and simple. Barkov has the capabilities of stopping McDavid and making his life hell. The question will be, can Sam Bennet matchup with Leon Draisaitl? The Oilers have top-end talent, but the depth has been challenged at times. This Oilers team is finding depth for the first time in a while, but it’s not as successful and consistent as this Panthers’ depth has been. Goalie Bob will be a story and Skinner will be a story. This will showcase nasty play, speed, and skill beyond what we saw last year. This time both teams are as healthy as you could expect, both teams have incredible motivation to get it done, and for the first time in NHL history, we finally get to see the greatest player on the planet play in the hardest playoffs in all of sports. For this one, I think the top end talent and that motivation factor of Connor McDavid will end up being too much for the Panthers at times. This series will go back and forth and will be incredibly fun to watch. We will see the NHL’s first OT win in game 7 to win the Stanley Cup and it will be scored by none other than Connor McDavid. He will also hoist the Conn Smythe trophy. Oilers in 7.