Jun 04, 2025 03:31 PM IST

Panthers go to the Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton

EDMONTON, Alberta — The second incarnation of the Florida Panthers in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers within the Stanley Cup Final opens within the reverse nook of North America from a 12 months in the past.

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Game 1 is Wednesday evening in Edmonton, the place followers within the hockey-crazed capital of Alberta get to see their crew begin a collection at house for the primary time throughout this playoff run.

“To be able to start the Stanley Cup Final on home ice, you can just feel a buzz in the city and these people deserve it,” NHL MVP finalist Leon Draisaitl mentioned. “They’ve waited a long time for this and, obviously to us, it’s all about finishing it.”

Starting at house final 12 months, the Panthers went up two video games to none and gained the primary recreation in Edmonton to take a 3-0 collection lead. They misplaced the subsequent three earlier than successful Game 7 to seize the primary title in franchise historical past.

Florida is within the last for a 3rd consecutive season and is 4 wins away from turning into the NHL’s first back-to-back champions since cross-state rival Tampa Bay in 2020 and ’21.

“It’s why we’re here: We’re playing hockey in June for the third straight year and a chance to be a part of history,” standout winger Matthew Tkachuk mentioned. “We’ve had two kicks at it so far, and they’ve been very different summers, so we’re hoping for the good one.”

The Panthers have gained 10 of 11 playoff collection since Tkachuk joined in a commerce from Calgary in 2022 and coach Paul Maurice took over that very same offseason.

As a kind of 10 opponents who ended up on the mistaken aspect of the handshake line in opposition to the burgeoning hockey powerhouse in South Florida, the Oilers don’t desire historical past to repeat itself. But veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm, again from an prolonged damage absence, does not need to load up an excessive amount of strain on Game 1.

“You ask every single guy in our locker room, we want to come out flying, we want to play great and we want to win Game 1,” Ekholm said. “You go to their locker room, they’re probably saying the same thing. One team’s going to win it and one team’s not.”

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