Why Panthers vs. Oilers II already stands as a historic Stanley Cup Final
Early goals, historically late goals, once-in-a-century comebacks, overtime games that seemed about to end three, four, 17 times before they did, gorgeous goals and saves....only four games in, this year's Panthers-Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final rematch already might be the best sequel since 'The Godfather, Part II.' Or, at least, 'The Empire Strikes Back.'
On TNT's Game 4 postgame show, Wayne Gretzky, holder of 60 NHL records, said other than all of Game 3 and Game 4's first period, 'it has been probably as good playoff hockey as I've ever seen.'
READ MORE: Draisaitl scores in overtime as Oilers beat Panthers in Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said after Game 4, 'Games like that, it's exhausting. It's a rollercoaster. I do appreciate the level of hockey: two good teams, playing as hard as they are, playing the right way. I do appreciate being so close to the action and seeing what I've seen. Obviously, with what's on the line, it's stressful.
'But, it is fun. I think our guys are having fun enjoying this moment.'
When Panthers right wing Matthew Tkachuk was asked after Game 4 if this was the tightest series he's been in, Tkachuk pointed out the Panthers had three overtime games in the first four Eastern Conference Final games against the Rangers a year ago.
But, a) that wasn't a Stanley Cup Final and b) all three of these games had lead changes in regulation and c) two got sent into overtime on the latest game-tying regulation goals in Stanley Cup Finals history.
Only two Stanley Cup Finals since forward passing became legal 97 years ago — remember that, we'll bring it up again — have had more goals in the first four games than the 32 scored by the Panthers and Oilers: the New York Islanders first two Stanley Cup Finals, 1981, 36 with the Minnesota North Stars and 1980, 33 with Philadelphia.
Despite near historic Cup Final offense, nobody blinked when Tkachuk said about teammate Sergei Bobrovsky and Edmonton's Calvin Pickard, 'Both goalies were unreal tonight.'
Tkachuk pointed to a partial breakaway save on Leon Draisaitl in the third. He could have brought up Bobrovsky turning away Connor McDavid after the Edmonton center swiftly slalomed between tired Panthers penalty-killers to a one-on-one duel with the Panthers goalie.
Pickard's Game 4 highlight save came in overtime, gloving Sam Bennett's blast off the crossbar. The game might not have gotten there had Pickard not stoned Anton Lundell after a turnover gave the Panthers center a mini-breakaway with the Panthers up 3-1 in the second period.
Pickard subbed for Stuart Skinner, who more than one person thought did well to hold the Panthers to three goals on 17 shots in the first period.
'Every board battle, everything can turn into something, so there's a tension because both teams can score,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'From my point of view, there's been phenomenal goaltending in this series. The numbers say I'm lying, the final score says I'm lying but the goaltending's been incredible. Because the game can break on slot pass to Sam Bennett, crack a bar.
'Just everything is dangerous all the time. So there's a mental intensity, mental toughness that both teams show.'
History being made
▪ By winning Game 4 after the Panthers had a 3-0 lead, Edmonton became the first team to do that in a Stanley Cup Final road game since the pandemic.
No, not the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 that drove the playoffs into a bubble — the flu pandemic of 1919, the one that canceled the Stanley Cup Final after five games. In that last game, the Seattle Metropolitans led 3-0 on home ice before Le Club de Hockey Canadien from Montreal pulled out a 4-3 win.
That was the first season the NHL used blue lines. Eight seasons later, players could legally pass the puck forward.
▪ Last-minute goals sending Stanley Cup Final games into overtime happen. But, they don't happen as late or as often as they've happened in this series.
Panthers right wing Sam Reinhart's goal with 19.5 seconds left Thursday would've been the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history...if it hadn't been for Corey Perry's goal with 17.8 seconds left in Game 2 that sent that game into overtime. This is the first time two games in the same Cup Final had last minute goals to bring on overtime.
Both games, the team that sent it into overtime wasn't the team that won it, running against the theory of momentum.
'Why doesn't it carry over? I mean, when you're talking at this time of year, it's bounces either way,' Reinhart said. 'I think if you look at Game 2, they could have had a number go in the net, and tonight we could have had a number go in the net. So, I don't think it's too hard to reset. It's just the way the bounces go sometimes.'
▪ Speaking of bonus hockey, four other Stanley Cup Final series also treated fans to overtime in three of the first four games: 1946 Montreal vs. Boston; 1951 Toronto vs. Montreal, when all five games went to overtime; 1993 Montreal vs. Los Angeles; and 2013 Chicago vs. Boston.
▪ None of those series, however, possessed the bungee jumping quality of the Panthres and Oilers, who exchanged the lead in regulation in all three of their games. The Panthers went down 1-0 in Game 1, but got up 3-1 before losing 4-3. In Game 2, the Panthers went up 1-0, Edmonton took 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the first period, the Panthers' took a 4-3 lead after two periods and won 5-4 in overtime.
▪ Thursday, as discussed above, the Panthers were up 3-0 after one, Edmonton tied it in the second period before taking a 4-3 lead in the third and winning it in overtime on Leon Draisaitl's goal.
A third multi-goal comeback for a win would tie this series with the 1987 Edmonton-Philadelphia final for most such wins in a final of the post-1967 NHL expansion era.
▪ Draisaitl's Game 4 overtime shove that caromed off a sliding Niko Mikkola and past Bobrovsky gave him a record four playoff overtime goals this year and made him the third person with two such goals in the same Cup Final. Both Draisaitl's predecessors, the Rangers Don Raleigh in 1950 and Montreal's John LeClair in 1993, did so in back-to-back games.
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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
At 23, Panthers' Anton Lundell knows his playoff success isn't typical
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Anton Lundell knows how fortunate he is, considering how many good, young Florida Panthers of yesteryear didn't get a sniff of the playoffs. Let alone go on playoff runs. Olli Jokinen, Stephen Weiss and Jay Bouwmeester played seven postseason games with the Panthers. At least Jonathan Huberdeau was part of Florida's first playoff round win in 25 years before he was traded to Calgary in 2022. Advertisement But Saturday night, when the Panthers play Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Lundell is scheduled to play his 76th playoff game. And he's just 23. In Lundell's four seasons, the Panthers have made the playoffs every year and have been to three Stanley Cup Finals in a row, winning one last year. He's won 11 playoff rounds — or seven more than the Minnesota Wild have won in their 24 seasons. Just consider that it took Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov nine years to win a playoff round and Aaron Ekblad eight. 'I know it's not normal,' Lundell said. 'You try to kind of soak in everything around here. But at the end of the day, it's hockey. That's what I love to do, and that's what we're here to do.' Reminder: Anton Lundell is just the 4th player in NHL history to skate in 75 playoff games before turning 24. — Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) June 13, 2025 In Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Oilers in Game 4, Lundell scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, doubling last year's total. And, frankly, while he may be centering the Panthers' third line with Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen, a case can be made that the Lundell line has been Florida's best during Lundell's attempt to win another championship. 'They've been unbelievable all year, and even in the past, and I think a lot of the times, they really didn't get the appreciation that they deserve, how hard they play and how skilled they are,' said Panthers veteran Carter Verhaeghe. 'It's really kind of gone under the radar. They definitely could be top-six on any given team, and I think playing with Marchand has really been great. That line has been probably our best line throughout the playoffs, so they can defend. They're so good defensively and, obviously, have a really good offensive touch that I think is really underappreciated. They're one of the big reasons why we're here.' Lundell, known as 'Baby Barkov' because of how his foundation is so similar to that of his mentor and countryman on Florida's top line, has continued to improve due to the playoff experience he continues to accumulate. 'He plays well above his games played status, or his age status,' defenseman Seth Jones said. 'He's a super smart player, playing unbelievable hockey for us right now, even garnering some of the harder matchups on that line.' Coach Paul Maurice has talked often about how Lundell's defensive acumen has always been there (career plus-70). But the Panthers felt there had been untapped offensive potential after an 18-goal, 44-point rookie year as a 20-year-old. He's had 12, 13 and 17 goals since and just hit the 45-point mark this year. Maurice feels that Marchand's arrival late in the season has done wonders for Lundell and Luostarinen by almost forcing them to think more offensively. Lundell has assisted on three of Marchand's goals in the series, including his two breakaway goals in Game 2 and his goal in the opening minute of Game 3. THAT WAS QUICK!! 👀 — x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 10, 2025 Maurice also credits GM Bill Zito for seeing it all along. 'Before I came for the first training camp, he said, 'Wait until you see this kid. He's going to be great. It just takes some patience to let him develop his game,'' Maurice said. 'Anton Lundell is a Bill Zito draft (pick), and he was his champion for the last 2 1/2 years, and he was right.' Advertisement The Panthers didn't practice Friday after surrendering a 3-0 lead the night before and losing a chance to take a 3-1 series lead as the Oilers stormed back. They instead met at the Fort Lauderdale airport for another long flight to Edmonton. Players echoed what was said Thursday night and felt they'll be able to turn the page on such a disappointing defeat. 'I think our mindset is always playing for that Game 7,' defenseman Gustav Forsling said. 'But that's always our mindset, so we're calm and confident, and if we play our game, we know we're going to win most games. 'We obviously didn't like our second period. They took some momentum and really capitalized on it. That's hockey, though. It's big swings, but we did a good job coming back and took it to overtime.' It was the second time in the series that the Panthers gave away a multiple-goal lead to the Oilers in a loss. Asked if there was anything common between the two, Maurice said, 'No.' He doesn't feel the Panthers are sitting back: 'We're not sitting on it for 40 minutes thinking that we're going to go. I think that the team that's behind's risk profile changes a little bit. You get four up the ice quite a bit more. You're down the wall quite a bit more. You're not as worried about the result of a bad play because you need one. (That's what) changes.' Maurice said he didn't expect to make any lineup changes for Game 5. Since 2023, the Florida Panthers are 6-1 when playing in a Game 5 on the road. The only game they lost? The Vegas Golden Knights Cup-Clinching game in 2023. They have won four straight Game 5's on the road. The Oilers have played one home Game 5 in the past two years,… — Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) June 13, 2025 Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 14 goals in four starts in the series. Stuart Skinner has allowed 16 and has been pulled in two straight games — and will likely find himself as the backup to Calvin Pickard in Game 5. Pickard improved to 7-0 by winning in relief Thursday night. Yet, Maurice has gone out of his way to praise the goaltending on both teams, saying after Thursday's game, 'From my point of view, there's been phenomenal goaltending in this series. The numbers say I'm lying, the final score says I'm lying, but the goaltending's been incredible.' Advertisement He continued that theme before the Panthers' flight Friday. 'Sergei made some big saves last night. So did Skinner in the games, and sometimes it changes,' Maurice said. 'The goaltending has been right on. And I don't think you look at a regular season when it's a 5-4 game, you're not very happy. I don't think anybody's cheating the game out there, right? There's nobody being lazy on the back check. They're just two really powerful offensive teams. 'I don't do the analytics on the goaltending. It's all chances for and against. And then the 'A' chances off one of the reports last night are really high. It's in the teens from both teams, about even, but really high. So a little bit more deep. I guess defending is the key to the next one.'
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
As NHL's ‘old guys' dominate Stanley Cup Final, will it affect how teams are constructed?
EDMONTON — A Stanley Cup Final for the ages is being served up with a distinct touch of gray. It features the NHL's second-oldest starting goaltender in 36-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, who has been scored on twice already by 40-year-old forward Corey Perry. The Edmonton Oilers are now riding with a 33-year-old journeyman backup in their crease, Calvin Pickard, and the coaching staff turned to 33-year-old Jeff Skinner when searching for a lineup spark entering Game 4. Advertisement Meanwhile, at age 37, Panthers forward Brad Marchand has put himself in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation, while helping elevate a line centered by Anton Lundell, who at 23 is Florida's youngest regular skater. As the NHL's championship series enters Game 5 tied 2-2 on Saturday night, perhaps we can chalk up the Panthers' and Oilers' ability to keep exchanging momentum-swinging haymakers in this series to their tenured rosters. 'I've heard this a million times this year: I think we're the oldest team in the NHL,' said Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, a 35-year-old appearing in his third Stanley Cup Final. 'Having all of that experience on our side is huge in situations like this, where you've got to go game by game, you've got to go day by day and just make sure that you don't let that flow into each other too much.' Among the 32 goals scored through the opening four games of this final — the most since the 1981 series between the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars — just two came off the stick of a player below the age of 25. In fact, the average cumulative age attached to each of those goals is 31 years, 83 days — well above the league average from the regular season. What does that tell us? Well, the NHL is starting to skew a little older, which can be seen in the average age of players jumping from 27.1 years during the 2017-18 season to 28.3 years in 2024-25. And when the games matter most, some of the NHL's most successful franchises seem to be growing increasingly reliant on the stability offered by a player much closer to the end of his career than the start of it. The lesson was internalized a long time ago by veteran Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who remembers scratching a 37-year-old Paul Coffey with the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of a series against Boston Bruins in April 1999, only to see the Hockey Hall of Famer rejoin the lineup and play more than 30 minutes in Game 2. Advertisement 'The older guys have a perspective that young players don't,' said Maurice. 'Young players can be great, but I think you can almost be assured that you're going to get the very best out of your older players in (the) playoffs.' That's certainly been the case in a Stanley Cup Final where we've seen Perry score a tying goal with 18 seconds left in Game 2, only to have Marchand reply with the double-overtime winner. They're among a number of intriguing veterans who are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 — a list that also includes Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Matt Duchene and John Tavares, among others — which begs the question: Will the success of the Panthers and Oilers affect the team-building strategies of other rivals? There was a mixed response among the player agents and team executives contacted on Friday. One GM indicated that age doesn't tend to be a major factor in decisions except when it comes to a player he already has other reservations about, while a second GM said that he's always valued experience when trying to build a contending team and has only had that idea reinforced by seeing how the in-season additions paid off for Edmonton and Florida. A third team executive noted that it's important what kind of team is adding the graybeards, noting that the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are among the teams who have seen minimal return from adding veteran free agents in recent years to cores that weren't strong enough to maximize them. One veteran player agent said he thinks the Stanley Cup Final will influence how other top teams approach roster construction. 'You need some youthful exuberance and speed and all of that, and yet you need to mix that with maturity and calmness,' he said. 'The blend and having clear roles is the key.' Advertisement Ultimately, the unique era preceding this one may have skewed expectations for rebuilding teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins reached the Stanley Cup Final with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on entry-level contracts immediately before the Blackhawks accomplished the same feat with Kane and Toews driving the team. Stepping back, those situations look more like outliers than the rule — with the majority of franchise-level players reaching age 25 before their team wins a Cup. All of Florida's top players were north of that age when they captured last year's championship, while Connor McDavid (28) and Leon Draisaitl (29) are in a similar window while trying to wrestle this one away from them. If the Oilers manage to win it, the 40-year-old Perry will have played an important role, too. He spoke up during the first intermission on Thursday night with his team trailing 3-0 and Edmonton managed to pull off an epic comeback afterward. Perry did something similar while playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, when they recovered from a 3-1 series deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1 before going on a run to the Cup Final. 'It wasn't wisdom,' said Perry, when asked about his speech. 'It was just honesty.' 'I mean he's been in the league for over 20 years so he's been through everything,' added teammate Jake Walman. 'Nothing can faze him and he's just kind of rubbing that off on us.' At the risk of ignoring some of the other contributors to an unforgettable Game 4 that included a three-goal comeback, multiple lead changes, a last-minute tying goal and an overtime finish, the two youngest scorers in this series both had big moments. Lundell struck in the final minute of the first period to make it 3-0 for Florida before Vasily Podkolzin, a fellow 23-year-old, tied it up for Edmonton at 15:05 of the second period. Podkolzin also sent the pass to Draisaitl on the play where he won the game in overtime. 'You know what? We're like an old team,' he said. 'We have so many old guys, we are pretty calm usually. I am calm with them.' (Top photos of Brad Marchand and Corey Perry: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images and Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: How to watch Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final tonight
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Brett Kulak and the Edmonton Oilers will play the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, here's how to watch. () The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are no strangers; the two NHL teams met in last year's Stanley Cup Final (the Panthers took the trophy home, winning in seven thrilling games). Florida currently leads this year's Stanley Cup Final series 2-1, with the teams playing at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida for Game 4 tonight (June 12) at 8 p.m. ET. You can catch the entire Stanley Cup series on TNT and Max, here's everything you need to know about how to watch the Panthers vs. Oilers series, and get live updates on Game 4 here. How to watch the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: Dates: June 12, 2025 Advertisement Time: 8 p.m. (Game 4) TV channel: TNT, TruTV Streaming: Max, Sling, DirecTV and more Where to watch the Panthers vs. Oilers: You can tune in to every game of the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final on TNT and truTV. These channels are available on platforms like DirecTV, Sling and Fubo. Games will also be streaming on Max. Stanley Cup Final channel: All games in the Stanley Cup finals series between the Oilers and the Panthers will air on TNT and truTV. How to watch the Stanley Cup Finals without cable: Watch TNT and more DirecTV MySports Pack DIRECTV's MySports pack is a curated live TV package geared toward sports fans, with access to ESPN's suite of channels, TBS, TNT, USA, FS1 and an included subscription to ESPN+ for $69.99/month. The MySports pack guarantees access to thousands of live televised events, plus all the live-streaming and library content on ESPN+, all on one interface and one bill. You can try it for free for five days before committing. Try free at DirecTV Disney Best Max bundle Max, Disney+ and Hulu bundle (ad-free) The Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle gets you exactly what it sounds like: access to Disney+, Hulu and Max. If you go ad-free ($29.99/month) you'll save up to 38% off compared to individually paying for all three services — and gain access to the Stanley Cup Final, French Open and more. If you don't already have access to these platforms, this is a great option that really covers your bases, streaming-wise. You'll get access to three vast libraries, fully stocked with everything MCU, all those Disney princesses (new and old), Hulu's robust catalog of shows on-demand the day after they air, including the latest episodes of Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy and more, and the most recent seasons of The Last of Us, The Pitt and White Lotus. $29.99/month at Disney Who is playing in the Stanley Cup Finals? This year, the Florida Panthers will play the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. 2025 Stanley Cup Finals TV schedule: All times Eastern. Advertisement Game 1 : Wednesday, June 4 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers Game 2 : Friday, June 6 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers Game 3 : Monday, June 9 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers (Florida leads 2-1) Game 4 : Thursday, June 12 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers- 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 5* : Saturday, June 14 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 6* : Tuesday, June 17 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 7*: Friday, June 20 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) *if necessary More ways to watch the Stanley Cup Finals:
