The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will see each other’s faces once again in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, to decide the champion for the electric 2024-25 NHL season. Just hours away from the biggest showdown, forward Sam Bennett fired a bold warning shot at Connor McDavid and the rest of the team in Alberta.
The Panthers are determined to continue their historic run in the NHL. After making the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in as many years, the Cats are hoping to hoist the franchise’s second championship. The Sunshine State is known for its amusement parks, and Florida’s journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster.
Edmonton, on the other hand, is looking to settle the score with Florida. After last season’s heartbreaking seven-game loss in the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid and the Oilers have been haunted by the sting of defeat—and they’re bringing that fire into this year’s rematch.
Last year, the Panthers triumphed in seven games, with home-ice advantage proving decisive as they sealed the series at Amerant Bank Arena in front of their fans. This time, the Oilers hold that edge, in hopes of crowning themselves for the sixth time in franchise history—but Bennett and the Panthers remain unfazed by the shift in scenery.
“We’re a super-confident team on the road this year,” Panthers star Sam Bennett said, in dialogue with NHL.com. “I think we almost prefer it this year. It’s a little different, less time at home, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Familiar ice
Although Bennett’s statement made it clear the Panthers are not putting much thought into Edmonton’s edge, the Oilers are looking to take home-ice advantage to a whole other level in their series against the Panthers.
The ice at Rogers Place has been filled with samples of ice from hometown rinks where the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Stuart Skinner, Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse and Calvin Pickard had grown up playing minor hockey, as reported by NHL.com.
Oh Captain! My Captain!
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov received his third Frank J. Selke Trophy earlier this week, securing the award for the second straight NHL season. He became the sixth player in league history to win the distinction three or more times, joining Patrice Bergeron (6), Bob Gainey (4), Guy Carbonneau (3), Pavel Datsyuk (3), and Jere Lehtinen (3).
Barkov is undoubtedly the best two-way forward in the NHL, and he’s proven it time and again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year, he and Sam Reinhart effectively shut down McDavid and Draisaitl, limiting the star duo to just one goal in the Final when they matched up on the ice.
If the Panthers can replicate anything close to that level of shutdown defense this time around, they’ll be in very good hands. Confidence in Barkov is sky high around the locker room—as Bennett said.
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“I’ve never seen [Barkov] stressed,” Bennett admitted. “I’ve never seen him panic. He’s always calm, cool and collected. He seems to have an answer for any hurdle our team has.”