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We are one day before the start of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Edmonton Oilers vs the Florida Panthers. This is going to be phenomenal hockey as two of the best teams from the regular season and two of the best teams in the playoffs will go head to head.
Right now the Panthers are the favorites in this matchup. The Panthers have a highly skilled group of forwards who have racked up some points that consist of Tkachuk (19), Barkov (17), Vergaeghe (17), Ludnell (12), Reinhart (12), and Forsling (11).
Edmonton aren't slouches either with McDavid (31), Draisaitl (28), and Bouchard (27) sitting in the top 3 spots for playoff producers. After that you have RNH (20), and Hyman (18). The next highest point producer is Kane (8).
The top end for the Oilers still has the edge but the Panthers are also a deep team. The good news for the Edmonton Oilers is that they just beat arguably the deepest team in hockey in the Dallas Stars in 6 games.
The Panthers are not only a highly skilled team but they are also a physical team. They lead all playoff teams in hits with 739, the next highest team was the Bruins with 621 followed by Edmonton who has 563. The Panthers are a nasty team that play a cheap style of hockey. That is not a criticism of Florida. They are tough as nails and they make teams pay.
The good news for Edmonton is that Florida is also the most penalized team in the playoffs with 207 penalty minutes. The Oilers have been an excellent team at 5 on 5 but special teams can be the difference maker in games and the Oilers powerplay is brilliant. The only thing that has been better than the PP is the PK which was perfect through the Stars series and has been for the past 28 straight kills, going back to Vancouver. This is the Stanley Cup Final though and the whistles are likely going to get put away as the games go on.
For the goaltending matchup we have Stuart Skinner vs Sergei Bobrovsky. The matchup seems to go in Bob's favor but Skinner has been brilliant since Game 6 against the Canucks and ultimately outperformed Jake Oettinger. Here are Bobrovsky's last 5 starts:
24 Saves - 0.958SV% 27 Saves - 0.926SV% 23 Saves - 0.913SV% 23 Saves - 0.783V% 30 Saves - 0.933SV%
and Skinner's
34 Saves - 0.971SV% 20 Saves - 0.950SV% 22 Saves - 0.909SV% 21 Saves - 0.810V% 24 Saves - 0.917SV%
Both netminders have had a rough game but have posted excellent numbers around it. One of the Oilers strengths these playoffs has been their defensive work in front of Skinner and eliminating second and third chances against. It is when they start to flounder that the same can be said of their goalie. Edmonton needs to play their best here obviously.
The week off has been good for the Oilers. We know Kane is dealing with a sports hernia, Draisaitl has at least a broken finger and McDavid has been dealing with something (though he played his best game in Game 6 against Dalals). The team is as rested as possible and tomorrow we will begin a memorable experience.
The last time the Oilers were here was 2006 and while they did not win, Oilers fans still look at those days and that run with fond memories. Cheer for the win but either way take it all in Oilers fans and enjoy these moments.
Thanks for reading.