We made it! The Stanley Cup Final is upon us and it’s a rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers from last season. Both teams won in five games in their respective conference final series and come into this matchup anxious to keep up the momentum.
There are a lot of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on with these two teams linking back up for a second consecutive year. The Panthers got the best of the Oilers in seven games in 2024 and with the way they both have been playing, it could go the distance again. The fight for the most prestigious trophy in all of sports begins in Edmonton on June 4th in what is expected to be a very exciting series.
Oilers vs Panthers: Stanley Cup Final Preview
Rematch of Last Year’s Final
As mentioned, this Panthers-Oilers series will be a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final when the Panthers got the best of Edmonton in seven games. This will mark the first time such a rematch has happened since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009. Overall, this is just the fifth instance in the expansion era (1967) of a Stanley Cup Final rematch in consecutive seasons.
Stanley Cup Final rematches in the expansion era (since 1967):
◽️Canadiens vs. Blues (1968-69)
◽️Canadiens vs. Bruins (1977-78)
◽️ Oilers vs. Islanders (1983-84)
◽️ Penguins vs. Red Wings (2008-09)
◽️ Oilers vs. Panthers (2024-25)H/t @AdamVingan pic.twitter.com/6YImgcHGC8
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 30, 2025
Connor McDavid led last year’s seven-game series in assists (8) and points (11) while Evan Rodrigues had the most goals (4). Stuart Skinner had the better numbers in net than Sergei Bobrovsky, sporting a .909 save percentage to Bobrovsky’s .899. The Panthers netminder also got pulled in game four in an 8-1 blowout. The Oilers had the edge in special teams, having a dominant penalty kill and while not effective in the beginning, a better power play than Florida. The Panthers held a commanding 3-0 series lead before Edmonton brought it back to a seventh game.
A big piece from last season for the Oilers will be out for the series due to injury, Zach Hyman. Even with that, the Oilers have the firepower to carry on. Both the Oilers and Panthers bring back a significant portion of last year’s Stanley Cup Final team, setting up for a must-see rematch between the top-two preseason favorites.
McDavid Looking For His First Cup
McDavid has been the best player in the league for years now. He’s a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, four-time Ted Lindsay Award winner, the 2022-23 Rocket Richard Trophy winner, a seven-time All-Star, and won the Hart Trophy (MVP) three times. McDavid also won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season.
He’s done it all except one thing, win a Stanley Cup. This will be the second time McDavid has been to the cup final, attempting to win it all for the first time in his career. Although you could argue that hockey is the ultimate team sport, what holds people back from putting him in the conversation with the top greats is the lack of championships to show for it.
McDavid is just 28 years old and has YEARS of fantastic hockey ahead of him, but capitalizing now in this window with the Oilers would be ideal. You never know how many more chances like this will be presented to McDavid in his career.
Panthers Third-Consecutive Stanley Cup Final; Looking to Win Back-to-Back
In 2023, the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final for only the second time in franchise history. They faced the Vegas Golden Knights but ultimately fell in five games. Florida came back the next season with a chip on their shoulder as they made the final in consecutive years, this time beating the Oilers in seven to win their first Stanley Cup.
Going into this season, they didn’t have a chip on their shoulder, they just came out and showed why they’re the defending champs as this rematch against Edmonton will be their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. Not only is that the case but they’re looking to be the first team to win back-to-back cups since 2020-2021. It would also be just the 8th franchise in NHL history to repeat.
Six Straight SCF Appearances For the State of Florida
If the Panthers accomplish a repeat, it would be the second time in a row that a Florida-based team did so. The last team to go back-to-back was the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. That was a part of the dominant era for the Lighting and the Panthers are now looking to do the same. After the Bolts’ consecutive Stanley Cup victories, they also made a third trip to the Cup Final in 2022 but failed to three-peat.
Now right after that three-year stretch, the Panthers came right back with three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances of their own. This marks six straight final appearances for the state of Florida as a whole, spanning from 2020 to 2025…..for now.
A new state of hockey? ☀️🌴
A team from Florida has now made the Stanley Cup Final for six consecutive seasons
2020, 2021, 2022: ⚡️
2023, 2024, 2025: 🐯 pic.twitter.com/msHT2Ox6xu— BetRivers Sportsbook (@BetRivers) May 29, 2025
2025 Conn Smythe Favorites
According to FanDuel, McDavid is favored to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy (+110). He took home the trophy last year as well despite not winning the cup. McDavid currently leads the entire playoffs with 26 points with his teammate Leon Draisaitl right behind him at 25 points. Draisaitl has the fourth-best odds to win the Conn Smythe though (+850) behind Aleksander Barkov in third (+430) and Bobrovsky in second (+250), who has a 2.11 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage heading into the Stanley Cup Final.
Main Image: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
