Oilers Game
The Florida Panthers will face either the Dallas Stars or the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers reached the Cup Final for the second year in a row by defeating the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final with a 2-1 victory in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
They also beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round and advanced to the conference final by winning a six-game series against the Boston Bruins.
Florida (52-24-6), the top seed in the Atlantic Division, will host Edmonton (49-27-6) but will start on the road against Dallas (52-21-9), the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Oilers lead their series 3-2, with Game 6 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, MAX, SN, TVAS).
“I think both teams have a lot of similarities with the New York Rangers,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice. “They have brilliant speed and are dynamic off the rush.
The Boston Bruins series and the New York Rangers series were very different. This will be more like our last series. We’ve seen three completely different styles.”
The Panthers are 0-2 in the Final. They lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights last season and were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Forward Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in the playoffs with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists).
Forward Carter Verhaeghe (nine goals, eight assists) and center Aleksander Barkov (six goals, 11 assists) each have 17 points. Forward Sam Reinhart has 12 points (eight goals, four assists).
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has started every game, going 12-5 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Backup Anthony Stolarz has not played in the playoffs.
Dallas won the first round against the Golden Knights in seven games and defeated the Avalanche in six games in the second round.
The Stars are aiming to reach the Cup Final for the fourth time since relocating from Minnesota for the 1993-94 season and the first time since 2020, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Dallas won the Stanley Cup in 1999, defeating the Buffalo Sabres in six games in the Final.
Edmonton defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the first round and the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the second round.
The Oilers last advanced to the Cup Final in 2006, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. Edmonton has won the Stanley Cup five times, the last in 1990.
“We see them play, and we know they are both amazing teams with really good players,” said Barkov.
“I won’t go into details, but either team will be a tough matchup. So, we’ll rest, recover, and wait for our opponent before getting back to work.”
Florida was 2-0-0 against Dallas this season, winning 5-4 at home on Dec. 6 and 4-3 on the road on March 12.
Barkov had five points (three goals, two assists), while Reinhart and forward Evan Rodrigues each had two goals and two assists. Bobrovsky was 2-0-0 with a 3.50 GAA and .889 save percentage.
For Dallas, center Wyatt Johnston and forward Mason Marchment each had three points (one goal, two assists) against the Panthers. Forwards Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski and defenseman Thomas Harley each had a goal and an assist.
Goalie Jake Oettinger started each game, going 0-2-0 with a 4.67 GAA and .852 save percentage.
The Panthers were 2-0-0 against the Oilers, winning 5-3 at home on Nov. 20 and 5-1 on the road on Dec.
16. Verhaeghe had five points (three goals, two assists), center Sam Bennett had four points (two goals, two assists), and center Kevin Stenlund had three points (one goal, two assists). Bobrovsky was 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .941 save percentage.
For Edmonton, center Connor McDavid had three points (two goals, one assist) against the Panthers. Forwards Zach Hyman and Evander Kane each had one goal.
Backup goalie Calvin Pickard started each game, going 0-2-0 with a 4.59 GAA and .873 save percentage.
“Both teams are really good,” said Bennett. “The final four were the best teams. Now it’s another challenge, but we’re ready for it.
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