This past Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers hoisted another Stanley Cup Trophy on home soil 358 days after their last Cup Final win. Thanks to them, the Edmonton Oilers are back-to-back runner-ups which adds to the heartbreak of Connor McDavid and Edmonton’s fans up north. Through the first two games of the series, it was shaping up to be an all-timer, with consecutive overtime games. While we got a fantastic series, the Panthers ran all over Edmonton when the Oilers did not bring their “A” game. Both games Edmonton won were in OT but three of the four games that Florida won were blowouts with a combined goal difference of 12. It was an end-to-end series and I hope you savored it because it’s the last of hockey until the new season begins in October.
After two successive Cup Final appearances and two losses, where do the Oilers go from here? Well, first off, they have to acquire a goaltender. The Oilers defense was pretty poor for the most part but their goalies didn’t perform the best they could either. Stuart Skinner is a solid goalie and is serviceable but the deeper you go into the playoffs, a good goalie is not enough. Sergei Bobrovsky of the Panthers is a great goalie and was a game-changer in Florida’s win. The subpar performances and uncertainty around who’s in the net negatively impacted Edmonton as they went from Skinner to Calvin Pickard and back to Skinner in Games 4, 5, and 6. Having a reliable goalie removes the stress and decisions regarding the netminder so it is one less thing a coach has to worry about. In addition, the Oilers’ weak beginnings led to their downfall as they got outscored 9-0 in the first periods of Games 3-6. It’s always difficult playing with your backs against the wall and on the big stage of the Stanley Cup Final, it adds a lot more pressure. The Oilers chased all those games and their slow starts gave the Panthers a lot of breathing room. The Oilers were not consistent enough with their play over 60 minutes and their lapses were punished by the Panthers. In this series, Edmonton had to play their absolute best game to win games and that was a major problem because when they weren’t at their absolute best, they got blown out. The Oilers’ power play was 4/23 and they created good opportunities but failed to beat Bobrovsky. Things did not go completely according to plan in this series and the Oilers couldn’t find a way to adapt or win games when it wasn’t clicking perfectly. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl tied for most playoff points with Evan Bouchard racking up the most defenseman points but when the big 3 weren’t flowing, the Oilers lacked a Brad Marchand type of player. It is still a top-heavy team and a player like Marchand on the third line could have been a difference-maker. This Stanley Cup Final loss will sting for the Oilers but they have to regroup and get stronger in the offseason.
“Panthers Perfection”. Kenny Albert, TNT’s play-by-play announcer, summed it up gorgeously with those two words as the Panthers defended the Cup in Game 6. Florida made it past difficult opponents on the Eastern side and toughened up as they started every series on the road. There were nervy moments throughout their run but they rallied and made the right play at the right time. A key factor was the productivity they got from all four lines. The first-line forwards (Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart) combined for 68 points, the second-line forwards (Rodrigues-Bennett-Tkachuk) combined for 60 points, the third-line forwards (Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand) combined for 57 points and the fourth-line brought the physicality with a strong defensive presence. It’s incredible how balanced the team is and they’re not overly reliant on any player or line. At the trade deadline, Florida acquired Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins and that was the move of the season as he was gigantic in the playoffs with three game-winning goals and the second-best +/- in the playoffs, only behind his fellow linemate Anton Lundell. Good things happened when he was on the ice and the Panthers brought in a talented hockey player who added immense quality to their depth at the third-line. The organization does all the right things and it’s evident by the success they’ve experienced over the last three years. Furthermore, I can’t write this article without talking about Florida’s goalie Sergei Bobrovsky who is momentous to the team. Despite playing the most games in the playoffs, Bobrovsky boasted the third-best save % at .914 and he bailed his team with jaw-dropping saves. His uncanny ability to make saves he’s not expected to make and be clutch in big moments separates him from many goalies and Florida’s hunt for the back-to-back wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Russian netminder. The Panthers have loads of talent and the door is more than open for a legendary three-peat, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1983.
Both teams have offseason decisions to make as Connor McDavid has only one year left on his contract and Florida’s Sam Bennett will be a free agent this summer. Bennett was wondrous in the playoffs and if the Panthers want to keep him, they’ll have to pay him. After repeated years of Stanley Cup playoff heartbreak, McDavid still lacks the Stanley Cup Trophy in his resume and he’ll have to wonder if Edmonton is the place where he can lift the trophy. These teams have opened as the top two favorites to win next year’s Cup and while it is still early, will we get an Oilers-Panthers final in 2026 for the third straight year?