Reinhart expecting 'incredible battle'

New York Times

2 days ago

Leon Draisaitl scores in overtime to lift Edmonton to a Game 1 win at home Getty Images
The Oilers have beaten the Panthers 4-3 in overtime of Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final thanks to Leon Draisaitl's game-winning goal.
Edmonton leads a Stanley Cup Final series for the first time since 1990, the year of the team's last championship. This year's Final is a rematch of last season's, which Florida won in seven games.
In addition to his OT goal, Draisaitl also opened the scoring just 66 seconds into the game. The Panthers fought back with three straight goals, however, benefitting from a failed coach's challenge by the Oilers on the first before capitalizing on the subsequent power play to score the second.
Edmonton then got goals from unlikely sources, Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm, to come from behind and force overtime.
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Leon Draisaitl plays OT hero as Oilers defeat Panthers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final: Takeaways Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
Speaking to the media ahead of tonight's Game 1, the Panthers made it clear that they're not taking the Oilers lightly despite having beaten them in the Stanley Cup Final last year.
"It's going to be an incredible battle again," Sam Reinhart said. "They're playing, obviously, some pretty dominant hockey, so we're excited for the challenge. We've got to be ready for it."
"They're a really good team," Carter Verhaeghe added. "They've been to the final. They're definitely a hungry team. It's not easy to go to the final two times in a row, so they want it bad. So, it's for us to kind of play our game and we're going to be ready, too." Getty Images
Jason I.: We've all known we have something special down here for going on four years now, I'm very pleased to see it finally be recognized on a national level. It's not just that this team is good, obviously, they won the cup, but this team is special beyond just that, this team is special AMONG Cup winners. In my opinion they are getting very very close to that "dynasty" moniker. For those of us that have spent the last 30 or so years cheering for this team these last five years have truly been amazing.
Eric S.: Whatever the outcome, this Panthers team the past 3 seasons has been the highlight of 30 years of fandom and I've absolutely appreciated every moment of it. The structure and consistency and character and success. The soul destroying is a fun little bonus.
Manny G.: Panthers fan here. I have no idea who's going to win. I was worried last year, and I'm worried again. I think there is something to the revenge angle.
Steven N.: The Panthers better in every metric other than the fact they don't have the two best players in the world on their team. Like last year, it'll come down to how much and the timing of when McDavid/Draisaitl go psycho mode. It's going to happen...but will it be enough or too late?
Remember, you can join the conversation by emailing us at [e-mail] or by heading over to the Game 1 discussion page. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brian L.: One team has McDavid and that's gonna be enough in an even matchup.
Robert F.: The Oilers are gonna win in 5 games. Rematches don't bode well for the previous winner. The Oilers' style of play has matured so much. I actually don't think it will be a close series. Edmonton is deeper and healthier and more responsible. The only thing that can derail them is poor goaltending.
Anonymous: Florida is just too physical and smothering, they look better this year. So does Edmonton, but Bobrovsky is unequivocally the more seasoned guy and Florida is too good. I like Florida in 6 ... 5 if Skinner is lukewarm again.
Nicholas B.: I think Edmonton has dominated better teams than Florida. Florida has had an easier ride and that will benefit them. I think really what this whole series is gonna come down to is Skinner. If Skinner is good Edmonton wins and if he isn't they won't. Pickard same deal. As long as Edmonton gets good goaltending I don't think there is another team that can skate with them. Oilers in 5.
Remember, you can join the conversation by emailing us at [e-mail] or by heading over to the Game 1 discussion page. Getty Images
The betting odds for the Stanley Cup playoffs have shown the race to claim the Cup to be largely a series of coin flips. There have been favorites and underdogs to win it all, but the gap has been small, and no clear top team has emerged. It's fitting that the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers is also incredibly close in the odds.
When the odds first came out following Edmonton's 6-3 win at Dallas in Game 5 last Thursday, the teams were listed at a dead-even -110 on both sides on BetMGM. That has since shifted a bit, with the Oilers now the favorite to lift the Stanley Cup at -125. The defending champion Panthers are just above even-money at +105.
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2025 Stanley Cup Final odds: Oilers given an early edge against defending champion Panthers
The Panthers and the Oilers met twice during the 2024-25 regular season, with Florida winning each game by a one-goal margin. The score was 6-5 in Edmonton on Dec. 16 and 4-3 in Sunrise on Feb. 27.
The Panthers won both games despite missing a key player in each – Aleksander Barkov in the first meeting and Matthew Tkachuk in the second. Carter Verhaeghe scored the winning goal in the final seven minutes of the third period in both games. Getty Images
The Oilers have won the won the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), tied with the Penguins for the most among non-Original Six franchises.
They're appearing in the final for the ninth time, passing the Flyers (8) for the most appearances among non-Original Six franchises.
Edmonton is the only Canadian team that has made consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances since 1979-80 (when they joined the NHL and the playoff field expanded to 16 teams). Getty Images
The Panthers are making their third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final and fourth overall. They lost their first two appearances in the final, in 1996 against the Avalanche and in 2023 against the Golden Knights, before prevailing last year against the Oilers.
Florida is the ninth different franchise in NHL history to make three consecutive final appearances, but just the second to do so in the past 40 years.
Another title this year would make the Panthers the 10th different franchise in NHL history to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Getty Images
Which team is going to win this series and lift the Stanley Cup?
If you're a fan of the Panthers or the Oilers, how confident are you feeling?
Which player will be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs?
We want to hear your answers to these questions and much more! Send us your predictions, thoughts and questions by emailing us at [e-mail].
If you're a subscriber to The Athletic , you can also join the conversation by heading over to our discussion page for Game 1. Getty Images
The NHL has a time-honored superstition around touching the conference championship trophies, or rather not touching them. The belief is that hoisting those trophies is bad luck in your pursuit to win the real trophy, the Stanley Cup.
When the Oilers won the Western Conference last year, they duly avoided touching the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. This didn't pay off, however, as they lost to the Panthers in seven games. So naturally this year they thought they'd mix it up by touching it. The reaction from fans at a watch party at Rogers Place was strong to say the least, as you can see in the video below.
As for the Panthers, two years ago they touched the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the Eastern Conference, but went on to lose the final. So last year, they declined to touch the trophy and subsequently won the Stanley Cup. Coincidence? Cause and effect? Who can say! Unsurprisingly, given how last year went, the Panthers once again decline to hoist the trophy this time around. Getty Images
For the second straight year, the Oilers met the Stars in the Western Conference final, and for the second straight year, Edmonton came out on top.
Game 1, however, was a disaster for the Oilers. They took a 3-1 lead into the third period in Dallas before getting outscored 5-0 and dropping the series opener 6-3.
Facing questions around their defense, the Oilers responded by allowing two total goals over the next three games. Combined with a 6-3 victory in Game 5 that saw them clinch the series, the Oilers outscored the Stars 19-5 over the final four games.
Edmonton was the first team since 2000 to eliminate the same two opponents (Kings and Stars) in consecutive years. Codie McLachlan / Getty Images
EDMONTON – Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman expects to be ready for the start of next season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a dislocated right wrist but can't say for certain that'll be the case.
Hyman immediately dropped his stick and headed to the Oilers dressing room after being hit in the neutral zone by Dallas Stars winger Mason Marchment midway through the first period of Game 4 of the Western Conference final last Tuesday. He had season-ending surgery the next day.
'I knew it wasn't good when I got hit,' Hyman said. 'As a player, you know when something's not right. Right away, I just felt my wrist kind of go on me and, even then, you still think, whatever it is you'll be able to play through it or there'll be a chance you can play through it.
'I think I was still delusional I could play through it until after the surgery. I don't think I fully grasped it until later. Then you kind of get your head around it. Some things in life you can't control, and this is one of them.'
The first Oiler to check in on Hyman after his injury was Oilers captain Connor McDavid before Game 4 against the Stars was even over.
'It was a moment as a player where you're heartbroken,' Hyman said. 'I hadn't fully grasped it yet and just sitting in the kitchen, not even eating, just trying to figure out what was going on and I think I knew at that moment it was done. My season was done.
'He was the first one to come over, mid-game in between the periods. He called me over and gave me a big hug. Honestly, that's when I broke down.'
Hyman was amid a historic playoff run. He was on track to break the NHL record for most hits in a single postseason. Hyman was up to 111 hits, just 15 short of then-Tampa Bay Lightning winger Blake Coleman's mark of 126 in 2020.
He also had five goals and 11 points in 15 games a year after leading the league by scoring 16 times in 25 playoff games as a second act to a 54-goal campaign.
The Oilers lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final a year ago. It was Hyman who spoke up in the dressing room, assuring his teammates they'd be back. For him not to be able to play now that the Oilers have returned to the Final is a tough pill to swallow.
'Life has a funny way of working,' Hyman said. 'I truly felt that as a group – having gone through what we went through last year and in that moment – I knew that most of our guys were coming back, and I knew we had a hunger and a fire to get back to this point and not just get back but to win.
'Our team this year has been the ultimate example of a team and guys stepping up at different times, guys filling in different roles. We won series without Ekky (Mattias Ekholm), one of our best players. The timing worked out that when I was coming out, he was coming in. Just looking forward to cheering the guys on. We're here and we're ready.'
The Oilers had a video call with Hyman after winning the Western Conference final in Dallas last Thursday, which brought him to tears.
'It meant the world. I wasn't expecting it,' Hyman said. 'It was the day after my surgery. I was sitting on the couch with my wife and mother-in-law, just watching. It caught me off guard. I was crying. It was really emotional.
'You just feel so much a part of the team, and for them to do that in that moment meant a lot. I'll be with the team the whole way, acting like I'm playing but obviously not.'
Hyman said he plans on traveling with his teammates to South Florida for road games to be a part of the Stanley Cup Final.
It's not like the Oilers need any extra motivation to avenge last year's loss to the Panthers and win the Cup, but playing for Hyman is it.
'When you have such a heart-and-soul guy like Zach, obviously the way he plays it speaks for itself,' longtime teammate Connor Brown said. 'What he means to guys in this room is hard to articulate. When a guy like that goes down, there's definitely a rallying call, and I think guys pull up their straps to kind of play for him.' Getty Images
For the second time in three years, the Eastern Conference final saw the Panthers matched up against the Hurricanes. Florida swept Carolina in 2023 and things went nearly as well for the Panthers this time around as they triumphed in five games.
Despite the Hurricanes holding home-ice advantage, the first two games were dominated by the Panthers as they outscored Carolina 10-2. The domination continued in Game 3 as the series shifted to Florida, the Panthers winning 6-2 to go up 3-0 in the series.
The Canes pushed back in Game 4, earning a 3-0 shutout victory, but the reprieve was short-lived as Florida closed out the series 5-3 in Carolina in Game 5. Getty Images
The second round saw the Oilers face another familiar foe, the Golden Knights. Vegas eliminated Edmonton in the second round two years ago en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
This series went quite differently, with the Oilers making short work of the Kings in five games. After rallying from two goals down to take the series opener, Edmonton doubled its advantage with an overtime victory in Game 2, Leon Draisaitl scoring his second OT winner in the space of five games.
The Oilers lost Game 3 in gut-wrenching fashion, allowing Reilly Smith to score the winning goal with 0.4 seconds left, but responded with a pair of shutout victories to close out the series. Kasperi Kapanen's overtime goal in Game 5 clinched the team's berth in the Western Conference final. Getty Images
Between the six series the Panthers and Oilers have collectively played this postseason, only once did either team face elimination. That was Game 7 of Florida's second-round series against the Maple Leafs.
That series didn't start well for the Panthers as they lost the opening two games in Toronto, each by a one-goal margin. Their season hung in the balance in Game 3 as they looked to avoid falling into a 3-0 series hole, and they responded the way champions do, overcoming a multi-goal deficit before winning in overtime on Brad Marchand's goal.
Florida won the next two games before being shut out in Game 6 to set up the winner-takes-all finale in Toronto. Facing elimination for the first time this postseason, the Panthers ran riot, getting six different goal scorers in a 6-1 win. Getty Images
The Oilers' playoff run was in danger of falling apart before it ever got off the ground. In the first round against the Kings, Edmonton dropped the first two games and trailed by one late in the third period of Game 3. Less than seven minutes away from needing to pull off the ultra-rare 3-0 comeback, the Oilers scored two goals in 10 seconds to flip the game on its head and save their season.
Game 4 was no less dramatic, as Edmonton trailed by two in the third period before a pair of goals by Evan Bouchard, the second coming with just 29 seconds left, forced overtime. Leon Draisaitl scored the game winner to even the series and the Oilers never looked back. They took the next two games and closed out the series 4-2.
This was the fourth straight year that Edmonton and Los Angeles met in the first round, and the fourth straight year that the Oilers prevailed. They became just the fifth team in NHL history to eliminate the same opponent in four straight seasons. Getty Images
For the second year in a row and the fourth time in the space of five years, the Panthers found themselves facing their intrastate rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the playoffs. And just like last year, the Panthers prevailed in five games.
Florida took the first two games on the road, blowing out the Lightning 6-2 in Game 1 behind two goals apiece from Matthew Tkachuk and Nate Schmidt before winning Game 2 by a 2-0 scoreline thanks to a 19-save shutout from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Lightning pushed back in Game 3 to avoid falling into the dreaded 3-0 series hole, and were poised to even the series leading Game 4 with less than four minutes to go. But two goals in the space of 11 seconds from Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones flipped Game 4 on its head, and the Panthers never looked back en route to closing out the series in Game 5.
The fact that Tampa Bay's accomplishment of three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020-2022 has been immediately followed by three straight appearances by Florida really adds insult to injury in the context of this rivalry. Getty Images
Rogers Place Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Hockey capacity: 18,347
Opened: 2016
Rogers Place replaced Northlands Coliseum (opened 1974) as the home of the Oilers and the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings.
The Oilers went 25-13-3 here during the regular season and are 6-1 here in the playoffs.
In addition to hosting part of the Stanley Cup Final last year, Rogers Place also hosted the entire 2020 final between the Stars and Lightning due to the pandemic. Getty Images
This is the third postseason in which Connor McDavid has tallied at least 20 assists. Only one other player has done that at least three times in his career, and his name was Wayne Gretzky.
Panthers Aleksander Barkov: 17
Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk: 16
Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe: 14
Sam Reinhart, Eetu Luostarinen: 13
Anton Lundell: 12
Oilers Connor McDavid: 26 (leads all players in 2025 playoffs)
(leads all players in 2025 playoffs) Leon Draisaitl: 25
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 18
Evan Bouchard: 17
Evander Kane, Zach Hyman: 11 Getty Images
Nineteen different players have scored for the Panthers this postseason – only eight teams in NHL history have had more unique goal scorers in a single playoff year.
Panthers Sam Bennett: 10 (leads all players in 2025 playoffs)
(leads all players in 2025 playoffs) Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov: 6
Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell: 5
Oilers Corey Perry, Leon Draisaitl: 7
Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard: 6
Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Brown: 5