2024 Stanley Cup Final Preview & Prediction

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2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL PREVIEW

Panthers vs. Oilers

Projected Game 1 lineups:

Reviewing their rosters on paper, it’s hard not to give the advantage to the Florida Panthers.

Not that the Oilers’ roster is weak, but the Panthers’ is overflowing with depth and experience.

For instance, their 3rd defensive pair boasts a combined 1,930 regular-season games (Ekman-Larsson 982 GP, Kulikov 948 GP) compared to the Oilers’ 867 (Broberg 81 GP, Ceci 786 GP).

Plus, the Panthers have two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes.

In fairness, Stuart Skinner has held it down these playoffs for Edmonton but, provided the option, I’d put any amount of money that even McDavid would prefer Bobrovsky as a teammate this series.

Despite this, it’s hard to count out or bet against the greatness of the Oilers’ “Big Four” — Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard — who seemingly score at will, particularly on the power play which is operating at 37.3% this postseason.

The Panthers’ penalty-kill, ranking 2nd this postseason with an 88.2% kill rate, will need to bare-down, especially since they’re the most penalized team these playoffs (207 PIM) and 2nd only to the Ducks in the regular season.

Both teams have players who possess a great combination of skill and grit like Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett of the Panthers and Corey Perry and Evander Kane of the Oilers, promising an entertaining series.

The Panthers have two Stanley Cup winners on their roster: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL 2016) and Carter Verhaeghe (TB 2020). The Oilers have one: Corey Perry (ANA 2007).

The Panthers swept their regular season series, beating the Oilers 5-3 in Florida back on November 20, 2023 and 5-1 in Edmonton on December 16, 2023. However, those games are too far in the past to impact this playoff series.

The Panthers win if…

They can stop the Oilers’ power play. Their Selke-winning captain and 1st line center Aleksander Barkov gets the best of Connor McDavid in the faceoff circle and plus-minus department, with support from Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad.

The Oilers win if…

Stuart Skinner injures outplays Sergei Bobrovsky. Zach Hyman and the Oilers’ power play continues their scoring spree. And their defensive corp can counter the Panthers’ deep and potent offense — seriously, Vladimir Tarasenko on their 3rd line?!

Conn Smythe Front Runners:

While there’s still plenty of playoff hockey for other names to be considered for the most prized individual trophy in all of hockey, here are my favorites entering the finals:

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matthew Tkachuk

Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard

My 2024 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe prediction:

Like the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins and 1984 Edmonton Oilers, who won the Cup after losing in the Finals the year before, I believe the torment of last year’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights is the exact motivation and experience needed for the Florida Panthers to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 7 games.

And considering Edmonton’s offensive firepower, I suspect Sergei Bobrovsky will step up and be awarded the 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy, cementing his hall of fame career.

ICYMI 📺

Amazon Prime Video announced an NHL docuseries following Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, Jacob Trouba, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Quinn Hughes, Jack Eichel, William Nylander, Filip Forsberg and others, on and off the ice.

Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show Superlatives featured the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers head shots. Corey Perry and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were my favorites. Please reply to this email with who gets your vote.

POLL 🗳️

QUICK HITS ⚡️

• Oilers, Panthers have ingredients to provide epic Stanley Cup Final (NHL)

• McDavid, Oilers ready for Stanley Cup final after long journey (TSN)

• How Tkachuk, Bennett will have huge impact in Stanley Cup Final (Sportsnet)

• Edmonton’s Corey Perry gets another chance at second Stanley Cup 17 years after winning his first (AP News)

• Patchwork Panthers: How Florida built a perennial contender (ESPN)

• Joe Pavelski Plans to Retire from NHL After 18-Year Career With Stars, Sharks (Bleacher Report)

COACHES CORNER 🏒

• Great drill to work on catching awkward passes combined with soft touches (Prodero Hockey)

• 3 dryland drills to improve your on-ice explosiveness (Jan Radosta)

TRIVIA 🧠