The Florida Panthers will face off against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. One night after the Panthers defeated the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the players were home on their sofas watching the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars battle in their Game 6 on the Western Conference side of the bracket. Edmonton won the game, and the series, knocking out the Stars in six game and punching their ticket to Sunrise.
During the playoffs, Edmonton leads all teams in scoring with 63 goals in 18 games. Florida is second with 55 in 17 games. The Oilers currently have the NHL’s top three playoff scorers – led by Connor McDavid’s 31 points – and five of the top seven. Florida has three players in the top nine. The Panthers also finished with a better regular season record, so they’ll enjoy home ice advantage in the championship series.
Both the Panthers and the Oilers will now get nearly a week to prepare for one another while allowing for any lingering injuries or ailments to heal. Florida won each of the two regular season matchups, outscoring the Oilers 10-4 including a 5-1 victory in Edmonton back in mid-December.