The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final and once again find themselves facing the Florida Panthers, a rematch of last year’s seven-game thriller. After falling just short in 2024, the Oilers are hungrier than ever, and while both teams have evolved since their last meeting, many of the same challenges remain. Florida is a tenacious, heavy, defensively-sound team with star power up front and a red-hot Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. To flip the script this time around, here are three key things Edmonton must do to defeat the Panthers and finally bring the Cup back to Oil Country.
1. Match Florida’s Physicality Without Taking the Bait
The Panthers play on the edge. Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and company thrive on frustrating their opponents, dragging them into the muck and capitalizing on retaliatory penalties. Last year, this tactic worked to perfection, especially in low-event, grind-it-out games. The Oilers must remain disciplined and smart. Push back physically, yes, but avoid the dumb penalties that swing momentum.
Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Jake Walman will all be key to setting the tone physically on the back end. Meanwhile, players like Evander Kane and Trent Frederic need to forecheck hard without taking themselves out of position. The Panthers want chaos, Edmonton needs control.
2. Win the Special Teams Battle
Last year’s series saw the Panthers neutralize the Oilers’ lethal power play, which was a massive reason why Florida came out on top. So far this postseason, Edmonton’s man advantage has returned to elite form, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl finding seams again and Evan Bouchard launching bombs from the blue line.
Florida has a good penalty kill, but not an elite one. If the Oilers can draw enough penalties and keep their execution sharp, they’ll tilt the ice in their favour. On the flip side, the Oilers’ penalty kill must continue its strong playoff performance, especially against the likes of Carter Verhaeghe and Tkachuk, who can burn you quickly.
3. Get Timely Saves from Stuart Skinner
Sergei Bobrovsky stole multiple games in last year’s Final. While Stuart Skinner doesn’t need to out-duel Bobrovsky in every contest, he must come up with timely saves. The Oilers have shown they can dominate possession, but Florida is opportunistic. Skinner doesn’t need to be perfect, he just can’t allow soft goals that sap momentum.
If Skinner can stabilize the crease, the Oilers’ offensive firepower and improved depth give them a real shot to rewrite the ending this time around.