The long road to hoisting the Stanley Cup is almost over. It’ll be a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals as the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers meet once again. The Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games to win the Eastern Conference. The Oilers knocked off the Dallas Stars also in five games to take the Western Conference. So, let’s take a look at these teams and the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals preview and best bets.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals will take place Wednesday, June 4th. Thanks to the Oilers’ better regular-season record (by 1 game), they get the home ice advantage in this one. It’s notable that last year, the Panthers had the home ice advantage when the two teams dueled it out. Rogers Place Arena will host game one with a start time of 8pm ET on SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max.
Last year’s match between the two franchises was a thriller going all seven games. The teams set the record for the furthest distance between Stanley Cup Final opponents (2,541 miles). After the Panthers raced to a 3-0 lead in the series, the Oilers stormed back to win three straight and force a game seven. The Panthers battled back in game seven to stop the comeback and win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Stanley Cup Finals: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Preview and Best Bets
The Path
The Florida Panthers have made it back to the Finals for the third straight year. In 2023, they lost to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games before last year’s victory. The Panthers dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs four games to one. They followed it up with a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a tough fought seven game series. They made quick work of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals with another four games to one win.
Edmonton opened up with a six game series against the Los Angeles Kings, taking that one four games to two. Next up was the Las Vegas Knights; the Oilers struck them down in a quick five-game series. In the Western Conference Finals the Dallas Stars snagged the first game at home. After that it was all Oilers. They took over the series, winning four straight to return to their second consecutive Finals appearance. They’ll be trying to hoist the Cup for the first time since the 1989-1990 season.
Stanley Cup Finals: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Preview and Best Bets
Best Bets
This Stanley Cup Finals feels about as close as it can possibly get. The books agree, and each team is priced at -110 to win the series. These two teams already went seven games last season in this series, and they’ve both put it on the line getting back to this series once again. This season, I’m going to ride with the Edmonton Oilers. It’s extremely impressive to get this far three seasons in a row, and the Panthers won’t be an easy team to beat.
Ultimately, I’m leaning into the revenge angle. The Oilers fought all the way back from a 3-0 deficit last year just to lose in game 7. This year, they’ve got the home ice advantage and will be ready to get up right away. The Oilers’ scoring depth and even-strength play this postseason has been outstanding. Connor McDavid has been lights out, and having Mattias Ekholm return is huge. It’s been 32 years since the Stanley Cup returned to Canada, and this is the year it finally ends with the best player in the league hoisting it at the end of a grueling series. I’d like to go out on a limb and say the Oilers win it at home in five games (+600), but everything about this series screams six or seven games. As a fan of the sport, I think we all hope to see that. So give me the Oilers in seven. They win the cup at home, and it returns to Canada after all these years.
Pick: Oilers to win series (-110)
Oilers exact score 4-3 (+450)
