The 2024 Stanley Cup Final comes down to arguably the best all-around team in hockey and the club sporting the best player currently in the league, as the Panthers and the Oilers are the last two squads standing in the NHL playoffs.
Florida is back in the Stanley Cup Final after losing to Vegas in last year's championship series. This year, the Panthers took out the Lightning, Bruins, and Rangers en route to the franchise's third finals appearance, and the team is hoping the third time's the charm to win the club's first-ever Stanley Cup.
On the other side, the Oilers finally reached their first Stanley Cup Final in the Connor McDavid era. The Oilers superstar, paired with Leon Draisaitl, finally got over the Western Conference hump this year, taking out the Kings, Canucks, and Stars en route to the franchise's first finals appearance since 2006. The Oilers have not hoisted the Stanley Cup since 1990, going over 30 years without a championship in Edmonton.
MORE: Watch the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs on ESPN with Fubo
It's no fluke that either team is here. It will be a well-earned championship for either side if they can ascend the final steps to reach the top of the NHL's mountain. Will it be McDavid hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time, cementing his status as a legend of the sport? Or will the Panthers finally bring a championship back to Sunrise?
Here is everything you need to know about the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and the Oilers.
2024 NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | SCHEDULE | ODDS | PREDICTIONS
Oilers vs. Panthers prediction
There is no offense like the Oilers' offense. The combination of McDavid and Draisaitl is enough to make any defensive unit's heads spin, but when you pair those two with the complementary pieces at the top of the Oilers' offense like Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evander Kane, then Edmonton is constantly a threat to score.
The biggest knock on Edmonton in years past was their inability to win the low-scoring games. Between shaky goaltending and lackluster defense, it's seemingly always been the Oilers' Achilles' heel. However, the defense has improved drastically, and even though Stuart Skinner is not a bona fide elite option in net, he's shown flashes of brilliance during this playoff run.
With the Panthers, there really is no weakness. Their depth at forward and on defense is incredible, and Sergei Bobrovsky is providing sensational goaltending. Aleksander Barkov is one of the most underrated players in the game, Matthew Tkachuk is proving yet again he is simply a gamer in the playoffs, and Carter Verhaeghe might be the most clutch player currently in the league.
Florida can beat you in so many ways, which is what makes the team incredibly dangerous this time of year. The Panthers can play fast and beat you in transition in high-scoring affairs, or they can shut down the defensive zone and come out on top in a goaltending battle. Perhaps the most important fact is that no one can muck it up quite like the Cats — a requirement this time of year on the hockey calendar.
When it comes to playoff hockey, experience is a major factor. If you look at all of the previous Stanley Cup champions in recent history, more often than not, it's taken a team multiple times to finally get over the hump to lift the Stanley Cup.
McDavid is going to get his Stanley Cup. He's too good of a player not to win a championship — it's a matter of when, not if — but this Florida team is simply too good to lose two years in a row in the finals.
For the first time in Panthers history, a Stanley Cup will be brought to South Beach.
Prediction: Panthers in six.
Oilers vs. Panthers odds
The Panthers (-130) currently open the Stanley Cup Final as favorites over the Oilers (+110), according to the latest 2024 Stanley Cup odds at BetMGM.
- Panthers 4-0: +1100
- Panthers 4-1: +550
- Panthers 4-2: +500
- Panthers 4-3: +400
- Oilers 4-0: +1300
- Oilers 4-1: +750
- Oilers 4-2: +450
- Oilers 4-3: +550
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Oilers vs. Panthers regular season series
The Panthers swept the regular season series against the Oilers, scoring five goals in both contests.
- Nov. 20, 2023: Panthers 5, Oilers 3
- Dec. 16, 2023: Panthers 5, Oilers 1
Edmonton struggled to contain Florida's offense in the two previous matchups in the season. In the first meeting, the Oilers got out to a 2-0 start in the first period before the Panthers ripped off five of the next six goals. The next time around, it was all Florida, as the Eastern Conference squad got out to a fast 3-0 start in the first and never looked back, with Bobrovsky turning aside 38 shots.
One thing certainly to note — Stuart Skinner has yet to play against the Panthers. Backup goaltender Calvin Pickard got his first start of the season against Florida in November, and then he was in the crease again for the second game between the two.
Oilers vs. Panthers key storyline: Can Florida contain Edmonton's lethal power play?
Special teams always play a major role in a playoff series. Whether it's the power play or penalty kill, it's going to be a factor in the outcome. That is especially true when one team has arguably the most dominant power play unit in NHL history.
Putting Edmonton on the man advantage is hockey's equivalent to a death sentence. You are tasked with containing the sport's best player (McDavid), the game's top passer (Draisaitl), a defenseman with a cannon of a shot (Evan Bouchard), a forward who knows exactly where to be in front of the net (Hyman) and an exceptional center in the faceoff dot (Nugent-Hopkins). The group possesses an uncanny ability to cycle the puck, constantly moving in the offensive zone before finally finding the perfect scoring chance. So far in the playoffs, the Oilers have converted on 37.3 percent of their PP chances — even higher than their 26.3 percent from the regular season.
Florida's penalty kill is elite, as it's successfully killed 88.2 percent of the power plays it's given up. However, the Panthers have to stay out of the box. No team has taken as many infractions as the Eastern Conference champs, with over 200 penalty minutes entering the Stanley Cup Final.
Paul Maurice's crew was able to contain New York's power play in the conference finals, but Edmonton is an entirely different beast. You're playing with fire by asking the penalty kill to come through frequently against McDavid, Draisaitl, and Co.
Oilers vs. Panthers schedule
Here's the full schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals:
| Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV |
| Sat., June 8 | at Florida | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Mon., June 10 | at Florida | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Thurs., June 13 | at Edmonton | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Sat., June 15 | at Edmonton | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Tues., June 18 * | at Florida | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Fri., June 21 * | at Edmonton | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
| Mon., June 24 * | at Florida | 8 p.m. | ABC, SN, CBC, TVAS, Fubo |
* = if necessary
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