Latest news with #StanleyCupFinals
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Want my captain back': Bruins' fans spark a debate as Brad Marchand leads the Florida Panthers to Stanley Cup Finals
Brad Marchand, the former captain of the Boston Bruins, spent sixteen years with the team before he was traded to the Florida Panthers. While the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes and have reached the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in a row, many Bruins' fans are unable to believe that Brad Marchand is no longer a part of their team. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Brad Marchand leads the Florida Panthers to the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals but Bruins' fans want him back Recently, a fan account of Brad Marchand made a post on X that read as, 'don sweeney i hope you are miserable for the rest of your life and that the bruins never win anything as long as you're a gm for what you did to brad marchand' and this has sparked a debate. A fan commented, 'Letting players leave for nothing is exactly a reason the bruins have no depth in prospects. He actually did the right thing', while another fan wrote, 'Sweeney could've held onto him and continued contract negotiations and maybe Canada would've made it to the final instead of Switzerland..' A third fan wrote, 'I'm glad he's doing well in Florida but I just want my captain back!' However, some fans have supported the Boston Bruins' move to trade Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. A fan wrote, 'Wrong. When a long term deal wasn't in the cards, Marchand wanted a chance at another Cup. Sweeney did him a favor and wrangled a deal with Marchand's team of choice to pursue a Cup without much leverage on trade deadline day. If he gets his Cup, you may see him return as C for the Bs.' Another fan commented, 'Sweeney did him a solid, they couldn't agree on new deal and moved him to contender , its wasn't marchand's fault the bad drafting and roster management caught up to Sweeney.' While joining a new team might have been tough for Brad Marchand in the initial few weeks, the star player is now having the time of his life in the Florida Panthers. Now, all eyes are on the Florida Panthers as the team is all set to face the Edmonton Oilers for Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. Also Read:
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Mature' Oilers poised for Cup final rematch with battle-tested Panthers
For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers will play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa has the story. DALLAS — The Oilers were crestfallen. Heads sank into hands. Tears flowed from reddened eyes. Edmonton's bloodied and bearded roster had given everything in the Stanley Cup final. The gutsy, backs-against-the-wall effort — valiant in erasing a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7 — came up just short 12 months ago. Connor McDavid Aleksander Barkov 2024 Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) is consoled by Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) after Florida defeated Edmonton in game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday, June 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS) The team's core led by superstar captain Connor McDavid vowed that sweltering Florida night after falling to the Panthers that they would be back on the same stage. 'It's been a want since the end of last year,' Corey Perry, the Oilers' greybeard winger, said of a return to the NHL's title series. 'There's been a lot of thinking about what happened last year, and self-reflecting. 'Here we are.' The Oilers, it turns out, were right. Edmonton will make a second consecutive appearance in the Cup final after beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the Western Conference final. And Florida, once again, is waiting. 'It was on our mind since we lost that last game,' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said of his team's mission. 'It was a long, tough summer, training camp, regular season.' Oilers Stars Hockey Edmonton Oilers center Mattias Janmark (13) and defenseman John Klingberg (36) celebrate after winning Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (Julio Cortez/AP) The team from Alberta's capital didn't have its best for stretches of that 82-game schedule. Edmonton finished third in the Pacific Division following a rash of injuries down the stretch and fell behind 0-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs. All the club has done since? Put up a 12-2 mark in rebounding with four straight wins against the Kings before getting past both the Vegas Golden Knights and the Stars in five games. And unlike last spring when the Oilers, who host Game 1 of the Cup final Wednesday, relied heavily on the contributions of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — to be clear, the two headliners have again been excellent — the group has got goals from 19 different players in this post-season. A rebuilt defence corps, meanwhile, weathered the loss of Mattias Ekholm, back from injury for Thursday's 6-3 victory in Game 5 over Dallas after basically two months on the shelf, while the goaltending of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has come up huge when needed. 'Some teams get really hot coming down the stretch and they ride it all the way through the playoffs,' McDavid said late Thursday night in the bowels of a cavernous American Airlines Center. 'For us, it's come together in the playoffs. We've been building and building and building our game. 'Our best hockey is still in front of us.' Oilers Stars Hockey Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) scores against Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith and center Roope Hintz (24) during the second period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson) (Gareth Patterson/AP) Edmonton had already ridden a wild roller-coaster by this point last year. This run feels different. 'The first time you go through it, there's a ton of joy and excitement,' Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said of winning three playoff rounds. 'And there is now, don't get me wrong, but there's also a hunger and knowing what's coming and the opportunity that's ahead. We're all excited.' 'Those games can be emotionally draining,' McDavid added. 'We're not drained … we've got lots of depth. We've got as good a chance as they do.' That would be the nasty, battle-tested Panthers — in a third straight final after steamrolling the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, bossing the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7, and disposing of the Carolina Hurricanes in five. Panthers Hurricanes Hockey Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) skates over to accept the Prince of Wales Trophy following Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) (Karl B DeBlaker/AP) 'We know what they're about,' Draisaitl said. 'We played them seven times. It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that.' Knoblauch said his players are wiser as they pivot to an opponent led by Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brad Marchand making its third straight Cup appearance. 'This is a mature group,' the second-year bench boss said of Edmonton. 'They're older. They've seen a lot of playoff hockey. They know what they need to do to get it done.' The task, however, remains daunting. 'If it's going to change, we're going to play our best hockey,' Knoblauch added. 'We have a chance, but we're going to have to be at our best.' The Oilers have been pretty close to that already in these playoffs. Now they need more. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
Reuters
19 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Bettors backing Oilers to thwart Panthers repeat
May 31 - With the "dynasty" word being floated freely as the Florida Panthers prepare for their third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance, the public has been backing the Edmonton Oilers to avoid a repeat of last year's finals. The teams have equal -110 odds at DraftKings to win the series that begins Wednesday in Edmonton, with the Oilers drawing 65 percent of the total early bets and 78 percent of the money wagered on the champion. The action has been more split at BetMGM, where the Oilers opened as the -125 favorite. Their odds have shortened even further to -130, which has led to the Panthers being backed by 53 percent of the bets and 57 percent of the money at the book. The total games market has held steady at six, with 98 percent of the money backing the Over, which would mean another dramatic seven-game series. Edmonton eliminated Dallas in Game 5 of the Western Conference final on Thursday, setting up a repeat of last year's Stanley Cup Final won by Florida in seven games. It's also the first repeat matchup in the Final since Detroit and Pittsburgh met in 2008 and 2009. The Oilers are consensus 1.0-goal favorites (+153) nearly a week ahead of Game 1. The line is 1.5 goals at DraftKings (+190), Caesars (+180) and BetMGM (+192), which reported 66 percent of the money also backing Edmonton's -120 Game 1 moneyline. "They're a really good team and we're a really good team as well," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said of the Panthers. "It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that. We'll enjoy this and get ready." In last year's Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton lost the first three games but pushed it to the limit before dropping the deciding game 2-1. Now the Oilers have their opportunity to not only win the Stanley Cup but claim the crown against the club that broke their hearts. "I think we're better for going through last year," Oilers star Connor McDavid said. "It's a great learning experience and really driven us all year. This run has felt very different than last year. It's felt very normal. ... "Games can be emotionally draining, but we're not drained. We've got as good a chance as they do." --Field Level Media
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades while reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team.' Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension . Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. 'Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades in reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run, though. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team." Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension. Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. "Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___
