Can the Florida Panthers really be continuous?
The dominant roster and playoff experience have made the Panthers poised for a strong run with back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
Sports Pulse
The Edmonton Oilers and Dallas stars are facing each other in the NHL Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row, which started in Dallas on Wednesday night.
The Eastern Conference Finals will see the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in a rematch of the 2023 Series. The series opens Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Last year’s Championship Round, Star vs. Hurricane, Star vs. Panthers, Oilers vs. Hurricane, Oilers vs. Panthers: Star vs. Hurricane, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, Star, and four matchups remain.
Which matchup is the best matchup to watch? Everything has its benefits. USA Today ranks four possibilities for the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Why not have a rematch? Last year’s Stanley Cup final was certainly fun, at least until the end. Florida seemed poised for a sweep after winning the first three games and being blown away 8-1 in Game 4.
Both teams are full of stars and deeper than last season. Edmonton and Florida have top crimes for the remaining four teams. Plus, there are plenty of storylines. Will the Panthers be repeated and will they call them dynasty after three consecutive trips to the final? Will the Oilers be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens? Will Edmonton’s Conor McDavid, last year’s playoff MVP, and Leon Dry Saitole win their first championship? The Oilers will have a home ice advantage this time.
Do you want a fresh face? This works. Dallas was the last in the 2020 final for Carolina in 2006. Furthermore, there is a factor in Mikko Lantanen. He already managed to trade him incredibly early in the season with a hurricane before defeating the Colorado Avalanche this postseason. He has the opportunity to knock off another former team as the hurricane placed him on the star when he feared that he would not sign in to Carolina. He has playoff strength with a league-high nine goals and 19 points. However, the Hurricanes were good at neutralizing other team stars. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov is just behind Rantanen with eight goals.
3. Dallas Star vs Florida Panthers
These teams were well represented in four countries’ showdowns, so they have top-end talent. Finland’s Olympic teams will certainly pay attention. These teams also have the best power plays left. Panthers coach Paul Maurice and star coach Peter DeBoer is friends and highly quotable. Deboer is 9-0 in all the winners games and Maurice is 6-0, so he hopes to move this to Game 7.
4. Edmonton Oilers vs. Carolina Hurricane
This will be the rest of the top offense (Edmonton) vs. the best defense (Carolina), but the hurricane style is not always the most exciting. This was also the rematch of the 2006 Stanley Cup final. The Hurricanes led that series 3-1, but the eighth seeded Oilers fought back before Carolina won Game 7. Rod Brindamour was the first player to lift the Stanley Cup as Hurricane captain. Will he be able to lift the trophy for the first time as a coach?
