Our predictions for who will win Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup Final
The Stanley Cup Final has arrived in the Alberta capital, and it’s a rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
Florida is looking to achieve a rare back-to-back title in their third-straight Stanley Cup appearance, while the Oilers are looking to avenge last season’s Game 7 loss. It’ll be a battle of attrition with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl looking to bring the cup back to Canada, with Sergei Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov standing in their way.
Predictions from NHL experts have almost been split down the middle for this series, but it appears the Offside team is (mostly) on the same page.
Will McDavid and the Oilers get their revenge, or will the Stanley Cup be heading back to sunny Florida? Here is what the Offside team thinks:
Rob Williams, Offside Editor
Stanley Cup prediction: Oilers in seven
Conn Smythe winner: Connor McDavid
The Florida Panthers are a better team than they were last year, but so are the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will need to be great for the Oilers to lift the Stanley Cup, but they haven’t been leaned on as heavily as they were last year.
This version of the Oilers has depth at forward and defence, and (fingers crossed) Stuart Skinner playing at the top of his game. Another difference? They’ve been here before, which was an advantage the Panthers had last year.
Adam Laskaris, Offside Associate Editor
Stanley Cup prediction: Panthers in five
Conn Smythe winner: Connor McDavid
I think the redemption arc for the Oilers is too easy to predict. I think every set of predictions is overwhelmingly always picking a series in 6 or 7 games, but that isn’t always the case.
Six finals since 2000 have ended in five games. We were one game away from a short finals last year, and a rested Panthers team is a dangerous team. Their depth might be too much for the Oilers to handle.
Colton Pankiw, Calgary Offside Writer
Stanley Cup prediction: Oilers in seven
Conn Smythe winner: Connor McDavid
Like other teams in the past, including the Panthers in 2023, you sometimes have to go through heartbreak before winning it all. The lessons the Oilers learned last season will prove very valuable this time around and will push them over the Panthers.
A player like Connor McDavid can only be denied for so long, and he and the rest of the Oilers also have a healthy Evander Kane and well-rested Mattias Ekholm this time around. That, paired with home ice advantage, is why the Oilers will be crowned champions later this month.
Preston Hodgkinson, Edmonton Offside Writer
Stanley Cup prediction: Oilers in five
Conn Smythe winner: Connor McDavid
This Oilers team has demonstrated time and time again this postseason that they will not be denied. They have dominated each series to date offensively, defensively, and even between the pipes. The details have been as polished as they ever have in the McDavid era, and they are ready to slay their playoff demons.
With the depth firing on all cylinders, Stu Skinner getting his confidence back, and Mattias Ekholm bolstering an already strong defensive group, the Oilers will continue to surprise with another shorter-than-expected series win.
Lucas Medeiros, Offside Social Media Coordinator
Stanley Cup prediction: Oilers in six
Conn Smythe winner: Leon Draisaitl
The Oilers have looked like a completely different team in this year’s playoffs. They’ve dominated their last two series, and the goaltending concerns that worried fans early on have almost completely faded.
If Skinner keeps playing like he could save the Titanic and the team’s depth scoring stays hot, Edmonton looks like a strong candidate to finally bring the Cup back to Canada. I also believe Draisaitl will win the Conn Smythe, especially with the Panthers likely focusing on shutting down McDavid again, just like last year, when they held him to three goals and forced him to distribute the puck.
With Hyman out, Draisaitl will need to step up even more to carry the scoring load for the Oilers.