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CBS News
43 minutes ago
- Business
- CBS News
For Florida Panthers, wrapping up 3rd consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final didn't lead to celebrating
Bill Zito didn't do any significant celebrating after the Florida Panthers wrapped up their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He got some food and went back to work. At this point, no one around the team would expect anything different. The franchise that could not win a playoff series for a quarter-century now is in the midst of a back-to-back-to-back run to the NHL's championship round. Florida won 25 playoff games in its first 28 seasons combined; the Panthers have won 41 playoff games — and counting — in their most recent three seasons. The novelty of winning at this time of year hasn't worn off, but the Panthers have simply become used to it now. The main thing — the Cup — is the main thing. That's why after the most recent win, beating Carolina on Wednesday night to finish off the Eastern Conference title in five games, there were no helmets being thrown in the air, no raucous beer-spraying locker room scene, no thick wafts of cigar smoke. A few handshakes, something to eat, and that was it. He looked at potential travel scenarios to Edmonton, where Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final — a title-series rematch from last year — will be played next week. "I think everybody likes it right when people are kind to you and say things that are nice," Zito, the team's hockey operations president and general manager, said before the Panthers flew home from Carolina on Thursday. "But we learned. The journey isn't over and there's work to do and we have to be focused on that and keep your eye on the goal. Don't let success get in your way." To be fair, for the Panthers, this is unprecedented levels of success. The Florida Panthers pose with the Prince of Wales trophy after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the finals at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. Chris Seward / AP They have now played 11 playoff series since the start of the 2023 postseason — their first one with Matthew Tkachuk in a Florida sweater. They have won 10 of those series, only falling in the 2023 final to Vegas. They're 41-21 in playoff games under coach Paul Maurice and actually have a better road record in those games (23-10) than they do at home (18-11). "I didn't even think about it," Tkachuk said after the Carolina series ended. "Just reacted how I reacted. I mean, I think it was different a few years ago. I remember a few years ago it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point. I know we talked about it last year. It's part of the journey. And same way with this year. It's all business, and we've got a bigger goal in mind." So, of course, do the Oilers. And both teams surely expect the rematch to be a classic. "They're a heck of a team," Edmonton star Connor McDavid said in the on-ice televised ESPN interview Thursday night when asked about the Panthers. "Obviously, it's their third finals. They're a special group. We're a special group. It's going to be fun. Couldn't ask for a better opportunity than to go up against the team that beat us last year. Really excited about it." The mind games are already underway. Florida touched the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the East in 2023 and lost the final; the Panthers didn't touch the conference trophy in 2024 and won the Cup, and didn't touch it on Wednesday either to preserve that tradition. In turn, the Oilers didn't touch the West trophy last year — but McDavid grabbed it this year, trying to change up the Cup luck. When the East title series ended, Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour paid the Panthers — who won their first Cup last season — the ultimate compliment. "They're the standard now," Brind'Amour said. It has been a long time since the league has seen a run like this. Tampa Bay made three straight finals from 2020 through 2022 (with two of those seasons shortened by COVID), but no team — until now — has navigated three consecutive full regular seasons and gotten to the Stanley Cup Final in each of those years since Edmonton from 1983 through 1985. By the time this year's title series is over, the Panthers will have played more games in a three-year span than any team in NHL history. It's an accomplishment, for certain. Zito wasn't thinking about any of that after the Carolina series. There were travel plans to put together, reports to look at, somewhere between four and seven more games left in this season to think about. "I don't think that the elation or the appreciation for the moment diminishes," Zito said. "I think perhaps the way it manifests itself, it's just channeled differently. ... That level of respect and appreciation for where you are, in tandem with the hunger, you want to do it again. You want to do it again. What can we start doing now? Don't stop. Don't get content. And those guys, they woke up with 100 texts each from everyone telling them how great they are. Everyone did. And it's not over."
New York Times
an hour ago
- Business
- New York Times
‘This run has felt different': Why the Oilers believe they're better positioned to win the Stanley Cup
DALLAS — Corey Perry stood in the visiting dressing room on Thursday night among the other victorious Edmonton Oilers, wearing a team-issued, trucker-style cap in his customary backward fashion. When asked why he wasn't wearing a new Western Conference champions hat like his teammates, Perry scoffed. He won hockey's holy grail way back in 2007, and now he is returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the fifth time in sixth seasons after the Oilers eliminated one of his former teams, the Dallas Stars, in Game 5. He's still looking for that elusive second ring. Advertisement So, as that fresh-out-of-the-box, eggshell-colored championship hat nestled against his gloves on his locker-stall shelf, Perry focused on the more important things ahead. 'This group, it's been a want since the end of last year,' he said. 'There's been a lot of thinking about what happened last year and self-reflecting. Here we are.' The Oilers are back in the Final again, and with the same opponent, the Florida Panthers, in their way. Losing 2-1 in Game 7 in Sunrise, Fla., last June was heartbreaking for the returning players who endured it. That defeat has made them stronger, though, more unflappable. Sure, there was a wobble early in these playoffs, when they lost the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings and were on the ropes in games 3 and 4 at home. But that's been attributed to all the players returning to the lineup from extended or late-season injuries. Since they weathered that early storm, the Oilers have won 12 of their last 14 games and often have looked dominant while doing so. There have been no season-on-the-line moments as there were last year, when they trailed Vancouver 3-2 and trailed Dallas 2-1, and certainly no 3-0 chasm, as there was against Florida. 'We're better for going through last year. It was a great learning experience, and it's really driven us all year. This run has felt different than last year. It's felt very normal,' Connor McDavid said. 'It hasn't been as emotional. 'That's put us in a good position. Those games can be emotionally draining. We're not drained.' Instead, they're intensely eyeing the task at hand. The way the Oilers celebrated on the ice in Dallas after their Game 5 win was akin to how they might rejoice after a convincing win in November. It included subdued gestures of hugs, helmet taps and high-fives. There's a reason for that. Advertisement 'We should definitely be proud what we accomplished. We should feel happy with what's gone on,' Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'On our mind hasn't been just to be the best team out of the West. All summer, we weren't thinking about that. We were thinking about the ultimate prize.' They acted like a team for which this has become old hat. 'The first time you go through it, there is a ton of joy and excitement,' Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. 'There still is right now, don't get me wrong, but there is also hunger in knowing what's coming and the opportunity that's ahead. We're all excited to get the next series going.' They should be. Stars coach Pete DeBoer heaped praised on the Oilers after being eliminated by them in the conference finals for a second consecutive season. The Oilers defeated the Stars in six games last year, including wins in the last three games. This time, the series was even more lopsided. The Oilers scored the first goal in each game. They trailed for only one stretch, the final 14:02 of Game 1, when penalties and an inability to kill them proved costly. 'That Edmonton team is better than the team we played last year – deeper, defend harder, harder to play against,' DeBoer said. What's truly impressive about the Oilers is, that description wouldn't have fit for most of the regular season. They were the oldest team in the league during their 2024 playoff run and only aged more after re-signing most of their veterans and letting go of players in their 20s, such as Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele. They often looked and played slow. They managed to keep up with the NHL's elite for the first 50 games, owning the league's third-best points percentage through the end of January. But they struggled coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break in February. Then injuries started piling up in March. McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, John Klingberg, Leon Draisaitl, Stuart Skinner, Trent Frederic, Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and Troy Stecher all missed time before the end of the season. Evander Kane didn't even play a regular-season game. Advertisement McDavid remained optimistic about the Oilers' prospects heading into the playoffs, but, for good reason, it seemed like few others shared that feeling. Turns out, the Oilers' captain was on to something all along. 'It's been a different experience. Some teams get really hot down the stretch, and they ride it all the way through the playoffs,' McDavid said. 'For us, it's come together in the playoffs. We've been building and building and building our game. We're starting to see some of our best hockey. 'Our best hockey is still in front of us, which is a great thing.' They've gotten contributions from everyone on the roster. Skinner and Calvin Pickard have each won six games in net. Two players who are now extra defenseman, Stecher and Ty Emberson, have both chipped in. Jeff Skinner became the 19th Oiler to score a goal after he did so on Thursday in his return to the lineup after being held out for 14 games. Hyman likely being out for the Stanley Cup Final because of injury certainly hurts. But at least they got Ekholm back for his playoff debut in Game 5. They've never had so many quality options to backfill crucial personnel losses. Right winger Connor Brown, sidelined for the last two games with an injury, is skating, too. 'Our depth has been incredible,' Draisaitl said. 'We're deep. We're a different team,' Perry said. 'There are different players in here, a different feel. But you still have to go out and do the right things, and everybody has to continue to pull on that rope.' Add it all up, and the Oilers should be in a stronger position to take on the Panthers and earn revenge. That doesn't mean they'll win. The Panthers might be a better team, too, with the additions of Seth Jones and Brad Marchand, and given how they steamrolled the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. Advertisement This marks the 12th Cup Final rematch in league history. Generational talents Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby flipped the script the last two times it happened. Gretzky and his Oilers bested the New York Islanders in 1984 after being swept the previous year. Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games after losing in 2008. Maybe McDavid and the Oilers will make it happen again. 'We've got as good a chance as they do,' McDavid said of the Panthers. McDavid decided to touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl to commemorate the Western Conference championship after not doing so last year, just in case that provides a little extra luck. Luck, superstitions or hat choices have little to do with why the Oilers are back in this spot, though. For the better part of the last 14 games, the Oilers have played like a berth in the Stanley Cup Final was preordained. They've made good on their main mission. 'We spent seven months getting ready for this playoff run,' Knoblauch said of the October-to-April dress rehearsal. 'It was on our mind since we lost that last game. It was a long, tough summer. Training camp, regular season, it was just punching our card, showing up, wanting the playoffs, just having another opportunity.' The Oilers finally have that now. All that's left for them to do is finish the job.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oilers vs Florida Panthers: Full 2025 Schedule & 3 Bold Series Predictions
EDMONTON – Get ready Oil Country, the Stanley Cup Final is coming for you. After the Edmonton Oilers smashed the Dallas Stars' dreams of competing in the final playoff round, the NHL announced the schedule for the Cup Final. Advertisement Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. For the second consecutive season, the Oilers will face the Florida Panthers, winner-take-all. Trending Oilers Stories EXCLUSIVE: Mark Messier On Oilers, Budweiser, His Future & More EXCLUSIVE: Mark Messier On Oilers, Budweiser, His Future & More EDMONTON – Mark Messier loves Edmonton. Oilers 2025 Playoff Tickets: Buy Them Now With Pre-Sale Oilers Secretive Of New Victory Song, "Pink Pony Club" If Oilers Win Tonight, Here's When They Play Next Oilers Jeff Skinner Reaches New Milestone Messier Would Love Oilers To 'Bring It Full Circle' Messier Would Love Oilers To 'Bring It Full Circle' EDMONTON – 'It was incredible to be in the rink in Game Six last year.' Oilers vs Panthers Full 2025 Series Schedule All games are posted in Mountain Time. Italics are used for games that will only be played if necessary. Bold denotes home games. Advertisement Game 1: June 4 (Wednesday) - Florida at Edmonton - 6 PM Game 2: June 6 (Friday) - Florida at Edmonton - 6 PM Game 3: June 9 (Monday) - Edmonton at Florida - 6 PM Game 4: June 12 (Thursday) - Edmonton at Florida - 6 PM Game 5: June 14 (Saturday) - Florida at Edmonton - 6 PM Game 6: June 17 (Tuesday) - Edmonton at Florida - 6 PM Game 7: June 20 (Friday) - Florida at Edmonton - 6 PM 3 Stanley Cup Final Series Predictions A new series needs a new series of predictions. This might be the second year that these teams are facing each other, but this is not last year's Edmonton Oilers. Here are my three major series predictions: Oilers Won't Go Down 0-3 The Oilers have not lost more than two games in a row for this entire playoff run. Since losing their first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, they have only lost two total games. Advertisement They have demonstrated a calmness and maturity that they didn't have last year. Those attributes will serve them well in the Cup Final. And there is no way that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl allow their team to be put in the same unfortunate situation. Evander Kane Will Be Evander Kane It's time for the Oilers to raise some Kane…that is, Evander Kane. Last year, Kane was virtually invisible in the series against the Panthers. He only played two games (Games 1 & 2), recording two hits and one block in 25 total minutes of ice time. That's not going to be good enough this year. Kane seemingly took a backseat during the Dallas Stars series. I suspect he might have struggled to find a way to get physically engaged. There should be no struggles to get physically engaged with the likes of former Calgary Flames forwards Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. Oilers Will Get The Last Laugh My final prediction: the Oilers will win the Stanley Cup. There is enough different about this year's Oilers that they won't fail in the final twice. Oilers in five. Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Connor McDavid and Oilers set for another Stanley Cup chance against Panthers in a run that feels different
DALLAS — This playoff run has felt different for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, though they now are back in the same place. They have advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row, again against Florida after losing a seven-game series to the Panthers last June. 'I think we're better for going through last year. It's a great learning experience and it's really driven us all year,' McDavid, their captain, said after the Oilers wrapped up their second Western Conference title in a row. 'This run has felt different than last year. It's felt very normal. ... I don't want to say boring because it's not boring at all. It hasn't been as emotional.' Edmonton won in its first clinching opportunity in all three series so far this postseason. After losing their first two games at Los Angeles in the opening round, the Oilers won four in a row against the Kings, took out Vegas in five games and then did the same to the Dallas Stars in a West final rematch that ended with a 6-3 win. Game 1 of their Stanley Cup rematch is in Edmonton. 'We haven't had the highs and we haven't had the lows. It's just kind of been steady,' McDavid said. 'I think that does put us in a good position. You know those games can be emotionally draining. We're not drained. ... You know, we've got as good a chance as they do.' Florida wrapped up the East in five games over Carolina to get to its third Stanley Cup Final in a row. The Panthers won the first three games against Edmonton last year, then finished it off with a 2-1 victory after the Oilers forced a Game 7. That was the first Stanley Cup Final for the Oilers since 2006, their only other one since the franchise's five titles in a seven-season span from 1984-90. 'I think we spent seven months getting ready for this playoff run. Like, I think it was on our minds since we lost that last game,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'A long, tough summer, and training camp, regular season and it was just kind of punching our card, showing up, wanting the playoffs, just having another opportunity.' While top scorers McDavid (26 points, six goals) and Leon Draisaitl (25 points, seven goals) were the players on the podium after the West clincher, these playoffs have been more than a two-man show for the Oilers. Nineteen different players have goals, 11 of them have at least three. Corey Perry, 40, has seven goals — the most in a single postseason by any player 39 or older. Both goalies, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, have won six games. Regular-season starter Skinner was replaced in net after the two losses to the Kings. He took over again when Pickard got hurt midway through the second round against Vegas. Skinner finished off the Golden Knights with consecutive shutouts, including a 1-0 overtime win in the clincher, and posted another shutout against the Stars. 'We're mature. We've learned, and we're learning every game. The way we're playing, the calmness on the bench and making plays when things are going hairy on the ice,' Perry said. 'This group, it's been a want since the end of last year. There's been a lot of things said about what happened last year and self-reflecting. But here we are.' So are they glad they get another shot at the Panthers? 'It doesn't matter. You're competing for a Stanley Cup,' said Perry, a Cup champion at age 22 with Anaheim in 2007, and now going into his fifth Final in six seasons while still seeking another title. 'I mean we know what they're about. We played them seven times and they're a good team,' Draisaitl said. 'We're really a good team as well. Obviously it's nice to get a shot at, you know, getting some revenge, but a long ways from that.'
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Oilers gladly touched West trophy ahead of Stanley Cup rematch. It was hands off for Panthers in the East
DALLAS — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid wasn't keeping his hands off the Western Conference championship trophy this time. McDavid gladly touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl when accepting it after the Oilers' 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 that sent the Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers. 'It's pretty obvious I think,' McDavid said about what was different from the end of last year's West final. 'Don't touch it last year, you don't win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win.' Most NHL teams avoid touching the conference championship trophy, with their goal instead to hoist the Stanley Cup. And Florida didn't touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after wrapping up the East final with a Game 5 win at Carolina. The Panthers are going to their third Stanley Cup Final in a row. The Panthers touched the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the East in 2023, and lost the final. They didn't last year and then won the Stanley Cup in a seven-game series over McDavid and the Oilers. Edmonton hasn't won a Stanley Cup since all five of the Oilers' titles came during a seven-season span from 1984-90. They also made it back to the Cup Final in 2006.
