All HUT Fantasy Hockey Updates In NHL 25 Through Apr. 27
Sabres' Off-Season Must Radically Shake Up Team Culture
The Buffalo Sabres' off-season has many priorities, includng getting the team's seven RFAs signed to contract extensions. But the overarching change for the franchise is clear: there has to be an extensive culture change, one that charts a new course for an organization that has flailed often as it tries to end what is now a 14-year stretch without any Stanley Cup playoff action.
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CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Edmonton Oilers defeat Florida Panthers in overtime to take Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
A Canadian team hasn't lifted the Stanley Cup in almost 32 years and now the Edmonton Oilers are one step closer to breaking that drought after defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime to take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Leon Draisaitl secured a feed from Connor McDavid and found the back of the net with just over 30 seconds left in the first extra period to send Oilers fans at Rogers Place and the Moss Pit outside the arena into an excited frenzy. Edmonton got off to a fast start with Draisaitl scoring 66 seconds into the game but the defending Cup champ Panthers did not let that keep them down. Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand each scored in a span of two minutes to give Florida the lead. The 28-year-old Bennett added his second goal of the game early in the second period as the Edmonton crowd, once bursting with excitement, was stunned into silence. Despite an Oilers goal just over a minute later, the Panthers found themselves in a familiar spot – holding a lead through the first two periods. Florida, appearing in its third consecutive Cup Final, was 31-0 when holding a lead at the end of the first or second period in the playoffs under head coach Paul Maurice. Edmonton had other plans of handing the 58-year-old Maurice something he hasn't experienced since trading the cold of Winnipeg for the sunny beaches of south Florida three years ago. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm, playing in only his second game back due to injury, tied it with 13:27 remaining in regulation off a perfect pass from McDavid which would eventually force overtime. Both teams traded scoring chances for most of the extra period, but Panthers winger Tomáš Nosek was called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass with time winding down. With their two best players on the ice for the ensuing power play, McDavid and Draisaitl did what they do best to secure victory for the Oilers. After the game, Draisaitl – despite having a hard time describing the feeling of scoring the game-winner in a Stanley Cup final series – credited his teammates for setting up the scoring chance. 'You are obviously locked in. Especially on the power play, you're looking to finish it,' Draisaitl told reporters. 'Again, some incredible plays that made it pretty easy for me to put that home. It's a special feeling. It's great for right now but we got to look ahead and get read for Game 2.' McDavid, the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, called his teammate Draisaitl 'invaluable' to the team. 'Does so many good things,' McDavid said. 'Clutch, face-offs, you name it, he does it. Doesn't get enough respect or credit for his defensive abilities. When he's dug in, theres not many better – maybe nobody better.' Edmonton's Game 1 victory marks a stark contrast from last year's final. The Oilers fell into a dreaded 3-0 series deficit before clawing back to force a Game 7 where they suffered heartbreak. The Oilers are looking to become the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadians in 1993 while the Panthers can be become the first team to win back-to-back Cups since their in-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, did so in 2020 and 2021. Game 2 is on Friday before the series shifts to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4 starting on Sunday.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Oilers fans find a home in Calgary bars as Edmonton takes another shot at the Cup
CALGARY - About an hour before every Edmonton Oilers game for the next few weeks, Ernie Tsu plans to stroll down the street in Calgary for a cup of sake. Wearing his Oilers jersey, he'll then walk from the restaurant back to join a raucous crowd of Edmonton fans at his bar in the heart of Calgary's Red Mile, the name given to the stretch of 17th Avenue during the Flames' 2004 Stanley Cup run. 'I'm pretty superstitious,' Tsu, owner of Trolley 5 Restaurant and Brewery, said in the lead-up to the Stanley Cup final between the Oilers and the Florida Panthers. Edmonton won Game 1 on Wednesday. 'Since I've been having sake there, they haven't lost (a series).' Trolley 5, a not-so-secret hub for Oilers fans in rival Calgary, has flourished in the team's consecutive runs for the Cup. Two large flags — one for the Oilers, another for Alberta — hang from the rafters of the three-storey bar. Aside from a few framed flaming C jerseys plastered to the wall, it's evident oil country has found a home while the local franchise remains excluded from the playoffs for the third straight year. As the Flames continue to rebuild, the Oilers have provided another springtime boom for Calgary sports bars. The Oilers surged past the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in the first three rounds. Tsu said Calgary's community of Oilers fans has grown organically since he opened the bar nine years ago. He now likens it to a family. Earlier in the week, he took 30 diehard followers out for dim sum as a thank you. This year, he said, more Oilers fans have seemed engaged in light of surging patriotism. 'I'd say there's more people, and I think with the U.S. tariffs, you've got more people supporting a Canadian team,' he said. Not all Calgary bar owners are as thrilled by another successful Oilers run. 'I'm a Matthew Tkachuk-Florida fan for the rest of the season,' said Mike Shupenia, referring to the Panthers' captain and former Flames player. 'I will never be an Oilers fan.' But he'll take the business. The owner and manager of Side Street Pub and Eatery in Calgary's Kensington neighbourhood suspects his restaurant would be just as busy if the Flames were gunning for the Cup. During last year's finals, people were lining up for tables as early as 3 p.m. The Calgary-raised Shupenia is begrudgingly offering service to Oilers faithful this year. A handful of red goal lights around the bar go off every time Edmonton scores. And the bar gives a boxing championship belt decorated in Oilers blue and orange to the winner of a raffle, with five-dollar entries given to a children's food charity. For now, Shupenia is bracing for perhaps the busiest few weeks of the year. But he'll keep his fingers crossed behind the bar for the Panthers to claim their second straight Cup. If not, he said, 'I don't think we'll ever be able to live it down.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
How to watch Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final rematch: Streaming, TV channels, schedule, storylines to watch and more
The end of the 2024 Stanley Cup final was a devastating one for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. After going down 3-0 in last year's championship series to the very same Florida Panthers, the Oilers almost made history after coming back to even the series at three apiece. Near-glory ended in utter agony for McDavid and the Oilers, however, with the team falling a goal short in Game 7 as Florida claimed it's first-ever Stanley Cup. McDavid, fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Stuart Skinner and Co., have clawed their way back to the Cup final after cruising through the first three rounds of the 2025 postseason. They've now earned themselves a rare crack at the ultimate revenge: halting Florida's semi-dynastic three-year run and bid for a second-straight Cup as No. 97 gets a chance to lift the trophy over his head for the first time in his already illustrious NHL career. The defending Cup champs out of South Florida will have something to say about that, though, as the team enters its third-straight Cup final appearance on a heater of its own, winning seven straight series dating back to last postseason. The Panthers, like the Oilers, have earned their latest Cup final berth on the heels of two five-game series wins — against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 and Carolina Hurricanes in Round 3 — while putting up two dominant, clutch road victories in Games 5 and 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs to seal a series victory in Round 2. Will the Panthers continue that road dominance or have they met their match in Edmonton's home-ice advantage? Will this be the year McDavid starts to cement his championship legacy? How will the depth players and goaltenders match up for each side? Is this the year Canada's frustrating Stanley Cup drought finally ends? With plenty at stake for both franchises and individual legacies looking to be secured, this one should be electric. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch — and what to watch for — as the puck drops on Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final Wednesday night in Edmonton. Dates: Wednesday, June 4 — Friday, June 20 Format: Best 4-of-7 series Puck drop: All games scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Streaming: Sportsnet+ TV channel: Sportsnet, CBC, TVA (French-language) Locations: Edmonton, Alberta and Sunrise, Florida Game 1: Wednesday, June 4, from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta Game 2: Friday, June 6, from from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta Game 3: Monday, June 9, from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida Game 4: Thursday, June 12, from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida *Game 5: Saturday, June 14, from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta *Game 6: Tuesday, June 17, Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida *Game 7: Friday, June 20, from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta * = If necessary Sportsnet is broadcasting each and every Stanley Cup Final game. Therefore, you can stream this Oilers-Panthers matchup on Sportsnet+ basic or premium. A monthly subscription currently starts at $24.99/month. If you have your TV provider login, you can use it on the Sportsnet to watch the game online. Digital services like Rogers Ignite TV and Bell Fibe are also options to access Sportsnet, CBC and TVA. If you have a cable package, through providers like Bell or Rogers, you'll have access to all the Stanley Cup Final games. Just look for Sportsnet, CBC or TVA as part of your cable package. Sportsnet, as well as digital watch services like Rogers Ignite TV and Bell Fibe, are available through apps that you can download for most devices, such as your phone or tablet. The Panthers basically tore through the Eastern Conference's best teams to reach their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, showing what a powerhouse this squad really is. The Panthers kicked off their 2025 playoff run with a 4-1 series win over their inner-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning relatively easily in five games. Next, Florida fell down 0-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2 before reeling off wins in four of the next five games — including convincing 6-1 road victories in Games 5 and 7, respectively — to oust the deflated Maple Leafs in seven games. In Round 3, the Panthers made easy work of the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. The Oilers, meanwhile, looked just as dominant throughout the Western Conference playoff bracket after a little stumble in the opening round, going down 0-2 in their series with the Kings before posting four straight wins to eliminate Los Angeles in six. Edmonton stayed red-hot for its next two series, taking just five games to oust the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2 before earning its second straight finals berth with another five-game series win over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semis to tee-up the Cup final rematch against the Panthers. As of this writing, most books have the defending Stanley Cup champions as a slight favourite to win its second straight championship. The Panthers are also the betting favourite to win Game 1 on the road in Edmonton. Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook: Moneyline:Florida Panthers (-135)Edmonton Oilers (+115) Puck Line:Panthers -1.5 (+185)Oilers +1.5: -196 Total Goals (Over/Under 5.5):Over 5.5 (-115)Under 5.5 (-105) Panthers (-130) Oilers (+110) As the Oilers and Panthers prepare to drop the puck on the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, there are several intriguing storylines worth your attention. Here's the Top 5 we're sinking our teeth into: Connor McDavid is the best hockey player on planet Earth, but there's one piece of major NHL hardware No. 97 is still missing from his mantle: a Stanley Cup. It won't change the individual hierarchy of how things stand if the Oilers fall again to the Panthers — McDavid is still on pace to be a Mount Rushmore player when all is said and done — but most of the all-time greats have championships to their name, and securing a ring this year will go a long way in helping McDavid cement his legacy as one of the two or three greatest NHLers to ever touch the ice. There has been history of all-time great players getting it done after heartbreak the previous season, too. Wayne Gretzky led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 1983 before being swept by the powerhouse New York Islanders. The next season, both squads faced off again in the Cup final, but it was No. 99 and the Oilers ending the Islanders' dynasty to capture their first of several rings. Modern McDavid contemporary Sidney Crosby went through something similar in 2008 as Sid and the Penguins lost in the final to the Detroit Red Wings before the same two teams went at it in the final once again the following season with Crosby getting it done the second time around to secure his first championship. McDavid has a prime opportunity to do the same in 2025 in what would be a dream season for No. 97 if he can get it done after scoring the 4 Nations Face-Off overtime winner for Canada in February. Florida's success over the past three seasons has largely been due to the fact they have an absolute rock in the crease in Sergei Bobrovsky, who will make his 60th consecutive playoff start in Game 1 on Wednesday. During that time, "Bob" has posted 40 wins, six shutouts, and a .911 save percentage while leading Florida to three Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup title. During this year's playoffs, Bobrovsky has won 12 of 17 starts while putting up a minuscule 2.11 GAA along with a solid .912 save percentage. The Oilers, on the other hand, haven't had nearly the same confidence in their netminder over the past few months. After being pulled following two horrendous performances to start the 2025 postseason, Stuart Skinner found himself back in the Edmonton net after backup Calvin Packard went down with an injury early in the second round series versus Vegas. Skinner was shaky in Game 3 of that series but pulled it together when it mattered most, posting back-to-back shutouts in Games 4 and 5 to close it out for the Oilers. Against the Stars in Round 3, Skinner was absolutely phenomenal, going 4-0 and allowing just five goals on 105 shots (.952 Save %) in Games 2 through 5 to lead the Oilers to their second straight Cup final berth. The Oilers will need Skinner to be nearly perfect — and find a way to put a few extra pucks behind Florida's star netminder — to claim its fist Cup of the McDavid era. Both teams are loaded with superstars like Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Leon Draisaitl and McDavid, to name a few, but whoever can win the "depth" battle will give itself a clear advantage in this year's Cup final. Each squad, according to has had 19 unique goal scorers during this postseason, tied for the second most in NHL postseason history through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the most since 1993. Edmonton has 14 forwards with at least one goal in this postseason, which is tied for third most in playoff history through three best-of-7 rounds, per Florida, meanwhile, has had seven different defencemen put the puck in the back of the next in these Stanley Cup playoffs, which is tied for the most in NHL playoff history. Who will be the unsung hero — or heroes — of this year's Cup final? Unlike last-year's Cup final, the Oilers have home-ice advantage, but that may not matter as much with how good the Panthers have been on the road during these playoffs. Per road teams have won just 31 of 80 games (38.7%) this postseason, but the Panthers have gone 8-2 (80%) away from home through the first three rounds. The Oilers, meanwhile, have been dominant on home ice during these playoffs, going 6-1 through the first three rounds with a monstrous plus-16 goal differential. The Oilers will be at home for Games 1 and 2 and Games 5 and 7 if necessary. Something's gotta give. Incase you haven't heard, a Canadian-based NHL team hasn't claimed the Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens took it home 32 years ago. Once again one big question will linger over the Cup final: Is this finally the year?
