When you get a Stanley Cup Final rematch, the fanbases of the two participating teams are bound to have some more interesting takes. It especially holds true in the age of social media, where everybody has an opinion that has to be announced to the world. That is what makes this rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers unique from previous Finals: the takes are more vocal, and sometimes more viral.
These two fanbases know how intense last year’s matchup was. Both ultimately believe their team is better than the other, and can legitimately say their team this year has improved from last year. Let’s check the temperature of what they call “Panthers Territory.”
A lot of fans have the Mamba mentality
A common theme in the replies to the Panthers’ social media posts is that, in the words of the late, great, Gretzky jersey-wearing Kobe Bryant, the “job’s not finished.” Coming off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win, and with the Panthers entering their third straight Cup Final, the fanbase knows what the real prize is. They have to match what their in-state rivals did at the start of this decade, and go back-to-back with the Cup.
There is still a fresh element to this, of knowing how hard it is to win the Cup. A veteran Panthers fan will remember it took them seven tries just to win a game in the Cup Final, and they went 1–8 over their first nine games in the final round. Those fans do still pay tribute to the surprise runs of 1996 and 2023, though, while rooting for their team to continue to reign as champions.
What do they think their team’s weaknesses are?
With a team as complete as the Panthers, it’s tough to find an area they struggle in. However, their most recent two games against the Carolina Hurricanes offer some clues, as per the fanbase. The Panthers lost Game 4 by a 3–0 score, and then had to rally from multiple goals down in Game five to win.
In addition to the passing game being a little bit off, there’s the concern that the grind of three full seasons plus being one of the last two teams standing in the playoffs, could be catching up to the Panthers. A lot of their players have already been banged up, or are playing through ailments, this postseason. How much health they’ll have is a key area to watch.
There’s no love lost with Edmonton
The series last year between the Panthers and Oilers was very intense, as you’d expect when it goes the full distance of seven games. And there’s still some lingering emotions from last year that Panthers fans are feeling.
A few fans feel like the Panthers made it way more difficult last year than it should have been. Of course, looking back on last year, the tides started to turn in Game 3 for Edmonton despite the Panthers hanging on for that win. It would take a narrow Game 7 win for Florida to finally secure the Cup.
And there’s also other perspectives at hand, such as this one about narratives that could result from the upcoming Final.
Some Panthers fans acknowledge the Oilers are more formidable this time around
The Oilers needed one fewer game to get through the Western Conference than the Panthers needed to clear the East. The Oilers are also 12–2 since dropping the first two games of their run to the Los Angeles Kings, making all three of the Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars look paltry in comparison. Florida, in the meanwhile, faced a stiff test from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, before the Leafs forgot how to play Game 7 yet again.
More than a few fans recognize how scary the opposition looks right now, on top of the Oilers giving Florida literally everything they could handle in last year’s Cup Final. This series isn’t going to be a cakewalk for either team, and both fanbases have respect for that fact.
The takes are certain to get spicier once the 2025 Stanley Cup Final begins on Wednesday. Unlike last year, the Oilers have home-ice advantage, and will open at home for Game 1.
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