For the fifth time since the expansion era of the NHL began in 1967-68, a rematch of the previous year’s Stanley Cup Final will take place. The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games last postseason to win the championship for the first time in franchise history. Edmonton has home-ice advantage this time around and hosts Florida on Wednesday for Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
This marks the first time the same teams face off for the championship in back-to-back years since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins battled for the Cup in both 2008 and 2009. Detroit won the title in the first meeting, but Pittsburgh exacted revenge the following postseason. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the St. Louis Blues in both 1968 and 1969, then beat the Boston Bruins in 1977 and 1978, while the New York Islanders got past Edmonton in 1983 before losing to the Oilers a year later.
Florida and Edmonton both won their conference final series in five games, with the Panthers defeating the Carolina Hurricanes and the Oilers dispatching the Dallas Stars for the second straight postseason. Florida, which nearly squandered a 3-0 lead in the 2024 Final, won a pair of one-goal decisions against Edmonton this past regular season.
The Panthers are the ninth franchise in NHL history, the fourth since the playoff field expanded to 16 teams in 1980 and the second in the last 40 years to make three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. They also are the sixth straight representative of the Sunshine State to reach the Final, as the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared three consecutive times from 2020-22.
It is the fourth overall appearance for Florida, while Edmonton is in the Final for the ninth time in team history. The Oilers are making back-to-back trips for the third time overall and first since winning the Cup in both 1987 and 1988.
Even though his Oilers came up short last year, Connor McDavid became the sixth player in playoff history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team. The three-time Hart Trophy winner led the league with 42 points in the postseason to join Roger Crozier (1968, Red Wings), Glenn Hall (1968, Blues), Reggie Leach (1976, Philadelphia Flyers), Ron Hextall (1987, Flyers) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) in the exclusive club.
McDavid enters the 2025 Stanley Cup Final as the scoring leader with 26 points in 16 games, with teammate Leon Draisaitl right on his heels with 25. Captain Aleksander Barkov tops the Panthers with 17 points in as many contests.
Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 2.11 goals-against average and .912 save percentage for Florida, while Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner has recorded a 2.53 GAA and .904 SP. The goaltenders are tied for the postseason lead with three shutouts apiece.
Despite losing last year’s matchup, Edmonton is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup with odds around -120 at most sportsbooks. The Panthers are the underdogs with odds around +100. Meanwhile, McDavid is favored to take the Conn Smythe Trophy, with his odds ranging from -110 to +110 at the major sportsbooks.
Here is my prediction to win the 2025 Stanley Cup and the best bets to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Stanley Cup champion
Edmonton Oilers (-120, FanDuel)
Prior to the start of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, my expectations for the Oilers were low. After all, the last team to return to the Final after losing the previous year was the 2009 Penguins. But Edmonton has proven me wrong at every turn this postseason, defeating the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Stars. After losing the first two games of their first-round series against the Kings, the Oilers have gone 12-2 while changing goaltenders twice.
They have scored at least three goals in all but two of their 16 playoff games, netting four or more on nine occasions, and allowed fewer than three in seven of their last 12 contests. Edmonton is without one of its top scorers in Zach Hyman (upper body) but has been getting offensive contributions from many of its role players. It also got top defenseman Mattias Ekholm back in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final and has been receiving stellar play from Skinner, who allowed a total of two goals over his first five wins this postseason before yielding three in the series clincher against Dallas.
McDavid and the Oilers nearly pulled off the impossible in last year’s Final, forcing a seventh game in which they lost 2-1 after dropping the first three contests, and they seem to be on a mission to claim the Cup for the first time since 1990.
Best bets for Conn Smythe Trophy
Connor McDavid, Oilers (+110, DraftKings)
It’s very unlikely that McDavid will reach the point total he registered last postseason, but if he’s able to come close to his performance in the conference final, he’s a lock to become the seventh player in NHL history to win multiple Conn Smythe Trophies and join Bernie Parent (1974-75), Mario Lemieux (1991-92) and Sidney Crosby (2016-17) as the only ones to earn the award in back-to-back years.
McDavid recorded four two-point efforts in the five-game triumph over the Stars, giving him a league-high nine such outings this postseason. The 28-year-old captain has been kept off the scoresheet in just two of Edmonton’s 16 playoff games and once in his last 14 contests. He had a pair of four-point performances against the Panthers in last year’s Final and finished the series with three goals and 11 assists. Unless Florida is able to hold him without a point three times again like it did in 2024, McDavid is likely to make another addition to his trophy case.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers (+260, Caesars)
Many thought Bobrovsky would capture the Conn Smythe last year after posting a 2.32 GAA and .906 save percentage. The Russian netminder held Edmonton’s high-powered offense to fewer than two goals three times in the Final, registering one of his two shutouts of the 2024 postseason along the way.
Bobrovsky has been superb in these playoffs since giving up four or more goals in each of Florida’s first three second-round games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he yielded two or fewer in eight consecutive contests before surrendering three in the clinching fifth game of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Hurricanes. It would be difficult to pass Bobrovsky over a second straight year if he’s able to continue that strong play against the Oilers and guide the Panthers to another championship.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Scorecard: England vs West Indies, third ODI
Total for -, from overs. Batting Runs Balls 4s 6s SR Yet to bat Fall of Wickets Bowling Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ
Pascal Siakam perfect for Pacers: How his NBA journey focused his drive
There has always been more to Pascal Siakam than just his long, graceful strides.Getting out in transition is what stood out about Siakam as a rookie, when an injury to Jared Sullinger made him an unlikely starter for the first half of the season for the Toronto Raptors. It is what stands out about him now, as he finishes so many sublime Tyrese Haliburton-orchestrated fast breaks for the Indiana Pacers. Over his nine-year career, he has been steadfast in meshing that stamina with skill development.AdvertisementCrucially, as he improved, the tirelessness remained. In his final two years as Raptors coach, Nick Nurse was Thibodeauian in his reliance on his starters. Deep in the fourth quarter of a late-January 2022 game against the Miami Heat, Siakam was nearing 40 minutes for the night. Jimmy Butler attacked the rim in a close game, […]
Seleção brasileira pode garantir vaga na Copa do Mundo nesta Data Fifa; saiba o que é preciso
Ancelotti durante apresentação aos jogadores da seleção brasileira (Rafael Ribeiro - Divulgação) A ‘era Carlo Ancelotti’ já começou na seleção brasileira, com os primeiros treinamentos antes da estreia, agendada para esta quinta-feira (05), em Guayaquil, diante do Equador. E a Data Fifa de junho pode representar a classificação com antecedência da equipe para a Copa do Mundo, confirmando assim a máxima de nunca ter ficado fora de uma edição do torneio organizado pela Fifa. Na condição de momento, o Brasil ocupa a quarta posição na tabela das Eliminatórias, com 21 pontos, vindo de tropeço acachapante para a Argentina na rodada passada. Diante da ampliação de participantes na Copa do Mundo, a Conmebol tem seis vagas diretas e ainda pode garantir o sétimo representante via repescagem. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE A matemática da seleção brasileira para os jogos contra Equador e Paraguai, este […]
At Seahawks OTAs, defense sets a high standard: ‘We want to be No. 1’
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks’ offense looks much different than it did this time last year. New quarterback, multiple new starting wide receivers, new play caller and several new assistant coaches. They’re banking on all that newness to deliver a better on-field product.The defense, on the other hand, is full of familiar faces. And the Seahawks are banking on continuity to deliver an elite unit.Advertisement“We want to be No. 1,” veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed said Monday afternoon in response to a question about where he’d like the defense to rank in yards allowed. “We want to be No. 1 in every category. That’s what we’re striving for. We’re hungry. Every game may not be perfect, but that’s what we’re striving for. That’s what we’re working hard to get to.”Reed, 32, re-signed this offseason on a three-year deal worth […]
What can the Senators learn from this year’s Stanley Cup finalists? 4 lessons for the future
The Ottawa Senators accomplished their goal of making the playoffs this season. But those standards have already changed months ahead of the 2025-26 year.It wouldn’t hurt for them to take a few cues from the two Stanley Cup finalists in the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, who will meet again in a rematch of last year’s final. So we put together a list of lessons the Senators could learn from watching both teams over the next few days.Here’s an encouraging sign for Senators after putting together this list: the Sens have already started on some of these.Defence wins championships, and those pieces can come from anywhereOttawa is already a much-improved defensive team compared to previous seasons. The Sens allowed 3.43 goals per game during the 2023-24 campaign, fifth-worst in the NHL. This past season, it was 2.83 goals allowed per […]
Checking in on MLB’s three major awards races at the one-third mark
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.🚨 Headlines🥎 Softball's All-Texas showdown: Texas Tech walked off four-time defending champion Oklahoma and Texas shut out Tennessee to set up an all-Texas final in the Women's College World Series.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement🎾 100 wins in Paris: Novak Djokovic advanced to the French Open quarterfinals and joined Rafael Nadal (112 wins) as the only men to reach the century mark at Roland Garros.⚾️ Super Regionals set: 16 teams are left in the NCAA Baseball Championship. Next up: eight best-of-three Super Regionals hosted by the higher seed beginning on Friday.🏈 Cover athlete: Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle will grace the cover of "Madden 26," which comes out on August 14.⚾️ No. 51 forever (twice): When Ichiro Suzuki joined Seattle in […]
Related
Scorecard: England vs West Indies, third ODI
Total for -, from overs. Batting Runs Balls 4s 6s SR Yet to bat Fall of Wickets Bowling Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ
Pascal Siakam perfect for Pacers: How his NBA journey focused his drive
There has always been more to Pascal Siakam than just his long, graceful strides.Getting out in transition is what stood out about Siakam as a rookie, when an injury to Jared Sullinger made him an unlikely starter for the first half of the season for the Toronto Raptors. It is what stands out about him now, as he finishes so many sublime Tyrese Haliburton-orchestrated fast breaks for the Indiana Pacers. Over his nine-year career, he has been steadfast in meshing that stamina with skill development.AdvertisementCrucially, as he improved, the tirelessness remained. In his final two years as Raptors coach, Nick Nurse was Thibodeauian in his reliance on his starters. Deep in the fourth quarter of a late-January 2022 game against the Miami Heat, Siakam was nearing 40 minutes for the night. Jimmy Butler attacked the rim in a close game, […]
Seleção brasileira pode garantir vaga na Copa do Mundo nesta Data Fifa; saiba o que é preciso
Ancelotti durante apresentação aos jogadores da seleção brasileira (Rafael Ribeiro - Divulgação) A ‘era Carlo Ancelotti’ já começou na seleção brasileira, com os primeiros treinamentos antes da estreia, agendada para esta quinta-feira (05), em Guayaquil, diante do Equador. E a Data Fifa de junho pode representar a classificação com antecedência da equipe para a Copa do Mundo, confirmando assim a máxima de nunca ter ficado fora de uma edição do torneio organizado pela Fifa. Na condição de momento, o Brasil ocupa a quarta posição na tabela das Eliminatórias, com 21 pontos, vindo de tropeço acachapante para a Argentina na rodada passada. Diante da ampliação de participantes na Copa do Mundo, a Conmebol tem seis vagas diretas e ainda pode garantir o sétimo representante via repescagem. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE A matemática da seleção brasileira para os jogos contra Equador e Paraguai, este […]
At Seahawks OTAs, defense sets a high standard: ‘We want to be No. 1’
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks’ offense looks much different than it did this time last year. New quarterback, multiple new starting wide receivers, new play caller and several new assistant coaches. They’re banking on all that newness to deliver a better on-field product.The defense, on the other hand, is full of familiar faces. And the Seahawks are banking on continuity to deliver an elite unit.Advertisement“We want to be No. 1,” veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed said Monday afternoon in response to a question about where he’d like the defense to rank in yards allowed. “We want to be No. 1 in every category. That’s what we’re striving for. We’re hungry. Every game may not be perfect, but that’s what we’re striving for. That’s what we’re working hard to get to.”Reed, 32, re-signed this offseason on a three-year deal worth […]
What can the Senators learn from this year’s Stanley Cup finalists? 4 lessons for the future
The Ottawa Senators accomplished their goal of making the playoffs this season. But those standards have already changed months ahead of the 2025-26 year.It wouldn’t hurt for them to take a few cues from the two Stanley Cup finalists in the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, who will meet again in a rematch of last year’s final. So we put together a list of lessons the Senators could learn from watching both teams over the next few days.Here’s an encouraging sign for Senators after putting together this list: the Sens have already started on some of these.Defence wins championships, and those pieces can come from anywhereOttawa is already a much-improved defensive team compared to previous seasons. The Sens allowed 3.43 goals per game during the 2023-24 campaign, fifth-worst in the NHL. This past season, it was 2.83 goals allowed per […]
Checking in on MLB’s three major awards races at the one-third mark
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.🚨 Headlines🥎 Softball's All-Texas showdown: Texas Tech walked off four-time defending champion Oklahoma and Texas shut out Tennessee to set up an all-Texas final in the Women's College World Series.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement🎾 100 wins in Paris: Novak Djokovic advanced to the French Open quarterfinals and joined Rafael Nadal (112 wins) as the only men to reach the century mark at Roland Garros.⚾️ Super Regionals set: 16 teams are left in the NCAA Baseball Championship. Next up: eight best-of-three Super Regionals hosted by the higher seed beginning on Friday.🏈 Cover athlete: Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle will grace the cover of "Madden 26," which comes out on August 14.⚾️ No. 51 forever (twice): When Ichiro Suzuki joined Seattle in […]
Be the first to leave a comment