The Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. After decades of irrelevancy, the Panthers looked primed to be a top team for years to come. The Oilers finally got over the hump and are in the Stanley Cup! The best player in hockey on the biggest stage, doesn't get much better than that. Can McDavid pull through and bring Lord Stanley over the border for the first time in 26 years, or will Tkachuk and the pesky Panthers get their revenge from last year?
Stanley Cup Final Preview
Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers once again looked dominant during their run through the Eastern Conference but now face the best player in hockey. Edmonton and Florida have faced off twice this season, with Florida taking both games. The Panthers looked to be the better team from top to bottom, including coaching. Coach Paul Maurice admitted that they have a tough task in Edmonton, "You can't play a one-on-one game with them. They're just too fast, too strong, too skilled."
Connor McDavid has every and any accolade on his resume except one thing, a Stanley Cup. His matchup will most likely be Aleksander Barkov who nearly shut down Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak and Artemi Panarin throughout the playoffs. This Panthers team is tough, relentless, annoying, pesky, everything you want in your hockey team.
Will powerplay chances be Edmonton's saving grace? The Oilers have the best powerplay in the NHL, this postseason they are converting a whopping 37.3% in the playoffs. The Panthers have something to say about that, killing off 88.2% of powerplays in the postseason.
The star power of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can be a headache for teams but the Panthers are built for this. Each player knows their role and plays it perfectly. Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart along with Gus Forsling and Montour anchoring the defense, I can see why people view this team as tough. Florida is the deeper team and better in all aspects, they just don't have the best player on the ice.
Prediction: Panthers def. Oilers in 6 games
Finals MVP (Conn Smythe Trophy): Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers.
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