When the final horn went and the scoreboard read 2–1 for the home team, all that the visiting Edmonton Oilers could do is shake their opponents’ hands and skate off the ice dejected and heartbroken. After a long summer which featured a number of roster changes, the Oilers went back to work in an effort to avenge last year’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 loss.
Fast forward through a season marked by a slow start, rocky stretches, and a mad dash to the finish line with a growing injury list, the Oilers are now four wins away from lifting their first Stanley Cup since 1990. With the home ice advantage in hand and the Moss Pit ready to cheer on their hometown team, let’s have a look at the rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.
Roster retool for both teams
Despite this being a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, a lot has changed for both teams which starts with the make up of their respective rosters. While the superstar power of both teams has remained the same, the depth down the lineup has changed significantly. Oilers may have lost names like Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway, and Philip Broberg, but they have certainly found their rhythm with the likes of Jake Walman, John Klingberg, and Vasily Podkolzin. Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen have also stepped up, with the latter providing a series winning goal against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Florida Panthers are no different, replacing the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brandon Montour, and Vladimir Tarasenko with Seth Jones, Nate Schmidt, and Brad Marchand. While each of the rosters, with the exception of their top talent, have made significant changes, it is the Oilers’ whose identity has also arguably changed. Through the season and the playoffs, the Oilers have solidified themselves as a resilient, come from behind group that plays as greater than the sum of its parts. We have certainly seen the glimpses of this in the last year’s final but this season and playoff run has seen the team fully embrace this identity.
Both the Oilers and the Panthers possess some of the deepest and toughest line-ups to play against and time will tell which team’s depth chart will come out on top.
Goaltending will be the key battleground
An obvious, but also an understated key to the series will be winning the goaltending duel. There is no denying that Sergei Bobrovsky has a lot more mileage and experience that lends itself in big moments. Looking at the stats on paper, it may seem like the edge in the goaltending duel should go to last year’s Stanley Cup winning goaltender.
Not so fast, however, as Stuart Skinner has continued to show that he has something to prove. After a challenging outing in Games 1 and 2 against the Los Angeles Kings, Skinner has rebounded in the series against the Golden Knights and Dallas Stars, putting up impressive performances and making unbelievable saves like the one with his paddle against the desperate Stars team. Not only is he playing some of his best hockey, but he is also looking incredibly confident doing so. Playing in a market like Edmonton is no easy feat and Skinner has been tremendous in building up his mental fortitude in the face of criticism levied upon him.
Can Stuart Skinner continue his hot run or will the experience of Sergei Bobrovsky lead the Panthers to a repeat victory?
Physicality will be crucial
Throughout the season and the playoffs, Florida has continued to execute its punishing playing style which includes hitting anything that moves. As it currently stands, the Panthers are the top team in hits across the playoffs with 815. The next closest team? Edmonton Oilers with 652.
As the Oilers are preparing for life without their top hitter Zach Hyman and his 111 hits, the biggest question mark will be regarding their ability to continue their surprisingly physical game. The Oilers have no shortage of guys who won’t back down from anyone and time will tell if Vasily Podkolzin, Evander Kane, and the rest of the Oilers group can fill in Hyman’s shoes and make Panthers’ experience on the ice a rough one.
Of course, it is one thing to give a hit and another to take one. One of the criticisms that has been levied on the Carolina Hurricanes is that they seemed eager to avoid any sort of confrontation or physicality when facing the Panthers. If the Oilers want any form of respect and success in the series, guys like Evander Kane and Corry Perry will need to step up for their top players.
Given the Panthers consistent, and sometimes dangerous physical play, can the Oilers match the intensity and withstand the barrage of hits that are surely coming for their superstars and the rest of the team?
Parallels with the past
Heading into the match-up, there has been no shortage of comparisons between the superstars of the past and the superstar of the present. In particular, a lot of parallels have been drawn between the journeys of Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, and the yet to be written journey of Connor McDavid. The former two lost their first Stanley Cup Final appearance before capturing the Lord Stanley trophy the following season. Connor McDavid lost his first Cup appearance last June and is now back in the Finals looking for revenge this time around.
Can the Edmonton Oilers finally bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada and what will the legacy of Connor McDavid be once the final whistle goes? Time will tell what the final scoreboard reads after the last horn goes, but there will certainly be no shortage of excitement when the stoic players in Copper and Blue are walking down the tunnel to Enter Sandman blaring through the speakers of Rogers Place.
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