The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will face off in a highly anticipated Stanley Cup Final rematch beginning tonight at 7 p.m.
This series marks the second consecutive year the two teams have met in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Panthers aiming to defend their title after clinching their first-ever championship last season.
Another series victory would make the Panthers just the 10th team in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups and only the eighth team to accomplish the feat since the league’s expansion era in 1968, per The NHL.
The Oilers, seeking their first championship since 1990, secured home-ice advantage by finishing with a regular-season record of 48-29-5 compared to the Panthers’ record of 47-31-4.
Following Game 1, the series will continue with a Game 2 matchup in Edmonton on Friday at 7 p.m. before the two teams travel to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
Edmonton will be led in this series by centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are currently first and second in total postseason points heading into the final series.
McDavid has contributed a total of 26 points through six goals and 20 assists, while Draisaitl is currently sitting at 25 points with seven goals and 18 assists.
McDavid addressed the team’s loss in the Finals last season and said there “are steps to everything,” explaining that the loss was just another step to achieving his biggest goal.
“When you’re a kid you just want to play in the NHL. Then you want to be successful and do all these great things. And then there comes a point where it’s only about winning. I think this group hit that point years ago. It’s been a few years here with this core and we’re looking to finish the job,” he said, according to The NHL.
On the other end, the Panthers will be led by center Aleksander Barkov, who has managed to collect six goals and 11 assists for 17 total points through 17 games.
Panthers forward Sam Bennett said the team will rely on their experience to help lead them to victory.
“The first time we were just excited to be there and maybe that moment might have been too big and we were just too content with just being there,” he said, as reported by The NHL.
“Now there’s still a job to do and we’re not going to be content until that job is done.”
Currently, BetMGM Sportsbook has the Oilers as slight favorites to win the series at -125, with the Panthers’ odds currently listed at +105.
While the odds may favor the Oilers in this series, the two teams will still have to step onto the ice and prove they are worthy of hoisting the Stanley Cup.