The Attiq 2024 Stanley Cup Final Preview
The 2024 Stanley Cup final will hit the ice for Game 1 on Saturday night, with the Florida Panthers playing host to the Edmonton Oilers in the opener of the best-of-seven series. Florida will be looking to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, while Edmonton will be trying to become the first Canadian club to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens back in 1993.
The Road: Florida Panthers
The Panthers finished atop the Atlantic Division standings this past season with a record of 52-24-6, good for 110 points. That put them one point up on the Boston Bruins for first place, and just four points back of the league-best New York Rangers for the top spot in the National Hockey League.
Florida took care of business against the state-rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, winning the first three games of that series and then closing out the set in five games. In the second round the Panthers went up against the Bruins and lost the opener of the best-of-seven set before winning three straight games; Florida would take that series in six games. The Eastern Conference final then had the Panthers matched up against the Rangers and winning in six games, with the last five games of the series all decided by just a single goal and three contests ending up in overtime.
The Panthers are 12-5 in the postseason, and they are back in the Stanley Cup final for the second straight season; last spring they fell in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the final series.
The Road: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division standings this past season with a record of 49-27-6, good for 104 points. It wasn’t a smooth ride from the get-go for Edmonton, however, as a sluggish start saw the team fire head coach Jay Woodcroft on November 12 and replace him with Kris Knoblauch. From there Knoblauch led the Oilers to a record of 46-18-5 the rest of the season.
Edmonton faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs, winning that series in five games. The Oilers then met the Vancouver Canucks in the second round, the team that finished five points ahead of them for top spot in the Pacific Division standings. Edmonton dropped the opener and three of its first five games against the Canucks but bounced back to win that series in six games. The Oilers then defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference final, picking up victories in three straight games to close out the best-of-seven set.
The Oilers are 12-6 in the postseason, and in the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006.
Regular-Season Matchups
The Panthers and the Oilers met twice during the regular season, with Florida coming out on top in both of those matchups. Their first meeting came back on November 20, when the Panthers picked up a 5-3 home victory behind 26 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Niko Mikkola had two goals for Florida in that win, while Carter Verhaeghe, Kevin Stenlund, and Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers. Connor McDavid had two goals for Edmonton – including one on a penalty shot – and Evander Kane had the other Oilers marker. Calvin Pickard made 28 saves in the loss for Edmonton.
Florida then beat Edmonton 5-1 in their next meeting on December 16, with Bobrovsky again picking up the victory for the Panthers with a 38-save performance. Verhaeghe had two goals in that win for Florida, while Bennett, Aleksander Barkov, and Brandon Montour each scored once. Zach Hyman tallied the lone Oilers marker in the loss with Pickard again between the pipes and making 34 saves.
Stanley Cup Final Schedule
All games of the Stanley Cup final will be broadcast on ABC in the United States and on Sportsnet (along with the CBC) in Canada. Here’s a look at the complete schedule:
Game 1 – Oilers at Panthers – Saturday, June 8 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 2 – Oilers at Panthers – Monday, June 10 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 3 – Panthers at Oilers – Thursday, June 13 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 4 – Panthers at Oilers – Saturday, June 15 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 5 – Oilers at Panthers – Tuesday, June 18 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 6 – Panthers at Oilers – Friday, June 21 @ 8:00pm ET
Game 7 – Oilers at Panthers – Monday, June 24 @ 8:00pm ET
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
