The 2025 Stanley Cup Final has been nothing short of a bloodbath between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Neither side is shying away from conflict and the action on the ice is filled with after-the-whistle brawls. Although the Cats have become renowned in the NHL for it, Matthew Tkachuk wasted no time shutting down the narrative. He did so with a powerful reminder for Connor McDavid and the rest of the Oilers.
As they battle for the Stanley Cup for the second straight season, there’s no doubts Florida and Edmonton are the two best teams in the NHL. Every time they meet on the ice, tempers flare. Sunrise is already humid enough to make it tough to keep the ice frozen. When you add the heat of the action, concerns about melting ice at Amerant Bank Arena make perfect sense.
So far, so good, however. The tundra-like surface has survived the candid showdown between Tkachuk’s Panthers and McDavid’s Oilers in Game 3. But it will be put up to the test in Game 4, once again.
The Panthers did what they do best in Game 3: dominate, enforce, and get under their opponent’s skin. The Oilers couldn’t handle the beatdown, retaliating with vicious hits, whacks, and smacks. Edmonton experienced what most teams do when facing Florida—a relentless, in-your-face, and downright obnoxious group that invades your head and becomes nearly unbeatable the moment you give them an inch of ice.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers warms up before playing the Florida Panthers in Game Three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 09, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida.
However, Tkachuk denied those claims. Instead, he addressed the Panthers’ growth in the NHL, issuing a powerful statement aimed at McDavid and the Oilers.
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The Panthers’ way
“Not really, [it’s not a fair reputation]. We don’t talk about [baiting our opponents or getting under their skin], that’s not out style,” Matthew Tkachuk said during an interview with ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan. “That’s not what we talk before games on how we want to play. We want to play fast , physical, in their zone, close together, and we stick up for each other when it’s there. But, we’ve learned through experience.
“You go back to 2 years against Vegas [Golden Knights], we were so emotionally invested. It was so hard to get there, when games started getting away from us . We’re running around like crazy, not necessarily undisciplined. We were just so jacked up to be there and losing that series you learn lessons.
“It can be fiery, you can be invested. But you’ve got to be smart, disciplined, composed,” Tkachuk added. “We learned that last year. [Now], we try to let the other team be undisciplined, it’s frustrating to play against, which we want to be. But I think we’re more than that, we’re a better team than just that.”
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You either win or you learn
After the Panthers’ defeat in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to the Golden Knights, the fans and players in Sunrise felt the sky was crushing down on them. But that heartbreak paved the way for a redemptive Stanley Cup run the following NHL season.
The Cats clearly learned from the past. Now, they’re focused on solidifying their present and building a legacy that extends beyond the future—toward immortality. Tkachuk is certainly not afraid to discuss where the Panthers can sit in history, if they are able to secure back-to-back championships.
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“When we’re playing at our best, we’re pretty hard to beat,” Tkachuk admitted. “I just think we’d be up there with some of the best teams ever. Those that have been able to not only win back-to-backs, or if they won two [Cups] in three years. You know, the Blackhawks during the 2010s, winning three times in six years. I think we’ve got to be, at least, in discussion with some of those teams.”
