Stanley Cup final: Follow our live coverage before Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers

CBC

2 days ago

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It all comes down to this. The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers clash in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Watch our live show starting at 4:30 p.m. MT and follow along here as we bring you all the colour from downtown as well as some of the interesting stories we've covered leading up to the game.
Live pregame from the Edmonton arena and fan zone
Live in
5 hours
11:50 a.m. — Oilers and Panthers: a high-stakes rematch
We're just hours away from puck drop for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.
It's a rare Stanley Cup rematch, which hasn't happened since 2009. In 2008, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Cup, with the Pens exacting revenge the following year. The Oilers are hoping for a similar scenario. They are also hoping to become the first Canadian team to win the Cup since 1993.
The Oilers' road to the final had them cruising past the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars to earn their chance to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup. The Panthers bested the Tampa Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to get their spot in the final.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been leading the way offensively for Edmonton, and are No.1 and No.2, respectively, in points in this postseason. While McDavid has produced 26 points, nobody has lit the lamp more in the playoffs than Panthers forward Sam Bennett, with 10 goals.
In goal, it'll be Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Stuart Skinner for the second year in a row. Bobrovsky has an even better save percentage this playoffs than he did last year, but Skinner has been spectacular after some early struggles that saw him benched in favour of Calvin Pickard.
While the two franchises are set for a rematch, there are some new faces in the mix who are making an impact. Jake Walman has helped solidify things for the Oilers' blue line, while depth forwards Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen have been chipping in offensively.
Florida, meanwhile, has made two big additions: Seth Jones and Brad Marchand. And both have made their mark on this postseason.