The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are set to face off once more in the Stanley Cup Final, a championship series pitting the last two remaining NHL teams against each other.
Florida hopes to secure consecutive championships, while Oilers captain Connor McDavid aims to lift the Cup for the first first time in his impressive career. The series begins with Game 1 on Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Let`s examine some key numbers for the series:
11: This marks the 11th time two teams have met in the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive years, the first since Pittsburgh and Detroit in 2009. Previous rematches, like the 1984 series between Edmonton and the Islanders, saw the winner from the prior year lose the following year.
Since the NHL`s expansion era started in 1967, other rematches included Montreal sweeping Boston in 1977 and 1978, and sweeping St. Louis in 1968 and 1969.
3: Florida makes its third straight appearance in the final, matching the achievement of their state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-22). Tampa Bay won their first two appearances before losing in their third.
Since head coach Paul Maurice and forward Matthew Tkachuk joined the team in the summer of 2022, the Panthers have a remarkable playoff series record, winning 10 out of 11.
51: Oilers stars Connor McDavid (26 points) and Leon Draisaitl (25 points) lead all players in playoff scoring. This is their seventh postseason playing together, and the sixth consecutive year.
Since their playoff debuts in 2017, McDavid (143 points) and Draisaitl (133 points) rank first and second respectively in total playoff points among all players. The only thing missing from their résumés is a Stanley Cup.
2.11: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been crucial to Florida`s return to the final, posting a 12-5 record with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage over three rounds.
For Edmonton, Stuart Skinner briefly lost his starting role in the first round but regained it due to injury to Calvin Pickard. Since returning to the net, Skinner has been stellar with a 6-2 record, a 1.73 GAA, and a .931 save percentage.
2,543: The distance of 2,543 miles (4,092 kilometers) separating Sunrise, Florida, and Edmonton, Alberta, represents the longest travel distance between Stanley Cup Final opponents for the second consecutive year. This significant travel, a roughly six-hour flight one way, could pose challenges, particularly for the Game 5 trip back to Edmonton after Game 4 without an extra travel day.
