The GIST: After nearly two months of electric postseason play, the Stanley Cup Final has arrived with the Eastern Conference champ Florida Panthers battling the Western Conference–winning Edmonton Oilers in pursuit of Lord Stanley.
Florida Panthers: Back in the final for the second straight season, Florida’s finest are hoping to hoist the trophy for the first time in franchise history after coming up short last year. The Cats have it all — an elite goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky, a stout defense, scoring prowess, and, perhaps most importantly, a cat–sized appetite for revenge. Me-ow.
Edmonton Oilers: Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is a man on a mission, amassing a league-leading 31 points this postseason and doing it with serious style. As good as McDavid is (spoiler alert: very), Edmonton also boasts the second and third postseason point scorers in Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.
The matchup: The Panthers and Oilers met twice this season, with the Cats coming out on top both times, 5–3 in November and 5–1 a month later. Yes, the 10 goals scored should instill confidence for Florida faithful, but Edmonton’s had an, ahem, Oil change since then, highlighted by a new starting tendy in Stuart Skinner. Buckle up, this series has slick written all over it.