Oilers' Leon Draisaitl Issues Warning to Panthers Before Stanley Cup Final

Yahoo

11 hours ago

Oilers' Leon Draisaitl Issues Warning to Panthers Before Stanley Cup Final originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year after falling to the Florida Panthers in a seven-game series last June.
Advertisement
The rematch begins Wednesday at Rogers Place, with Edmonton hosting the first two games after not having home-ice advantage in last year's finals.
In the 2024 playoffs, Florida let a 3-0 series lead slip away before closing the finals out in Game 7.
Edmonton, however, enters this year's series with strong goaltending from Stuart Skinner and arguably the most talented and motivated core in hockey.
For Leon Draisaitl, there's no mystery about the opponent they will face during the next few days. The Oilers forward said after Sunday's practice that he's been keeping a close eye on Florida's run, sending the Panthers a warning before their rematch.
Advertisement
"Yeah, I like watching hockey at home," Draisaitl said. "So obviously I've been paying attention to their series, and you know, the way they play, it's not like anything new to us."
The Oilers lost both regular-season meetings against Florida this season but enter the finals with momentum, having eliminated Dallas in five games and putting together a 12-2 record in their last 14 outings.
Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl warms up before a game against the Florida Panthers.Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Draisaitl acknowledged that the Panthers' style won't catch them off guard this time.
"They look to, you know, be in your face," Draisaitl said. "And, yeah, I mean again, nothing that we haven't faced already or nothing that we're not aware of."
Advertisement
The forward closed his remarks by hinting at unfinished business.
"We know what they're about," Draisaitl said. "It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that."
Game 1 is Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. It will air on TNT.
Related: Oilers Get Definitive Injury Update on Top-Six Forward Before Stanley Cup Final
Related: Connor McDavid Sends Clear Warning to Panthers Before Stanley Cup Final
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.