Stanley Cup Final preview: Oilers eye revenge, Panthers look to repeat

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discusses the upcoming playoffs and the future success of professional hockey on ‘Special Report.’

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers takes place Thursday at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada.

It is the second straight season the Oilers and Panthers have been matched up in the Stanley Cup Final. Last season, the Panthers won their first championship in franchise history. 

The Panthers won that series in seven games but were on the verge of one of the biggest collapses in sports history. 

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Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov talks to Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid at the end of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The Panthers went up 3-0, but the Oilers won three consecutive games and forced Game 7, which the Panthers held on and won, 2-1. 

Despite the loss, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, the award given to the most valuable player of his team in the playoffs.

It was just the sixth time in NHL history that a player on the losing team was given the Conn Smythe Trophy. 

The Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final rematch is the 12th time in NHL history that two teams have met in the final in consecutive seasons. The last time it happened was when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings played in 2008 and 2009. 

The Red Wings won in 2008, while the Penguins won in 2009. 

The Panthers hope to become the first team to defeat the same opponent in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins in 1977 and 1978. 

Below is a preview of this year’s