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Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) and forward Connor McDavid (97) talk before a faceoff (Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)

4 Keys to Oilers Winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. Panthers

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 11:25 AM ET

The time is finally here. After nearly a week break, the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is set to get underway this evening. The Cup Final is always highly anticipated, but feels even more hyped this year given that it is a rematch between the two teams we saw go the distance one year ago.

While it was the Panthers who started that series off red hot coming out of the gates with a 3-0 series lead, it is the Oilers this go around who will have home ice advantage. They will be looking to get off to a much better start this time, beginning with a Game 1 win. In order for that to happen, they will need to excel in these four areas.

McDavid & Draisaitl Need to Take Over

While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been very good in this postseason, we haven’t yet seen the true video-game-like stats that Oilers fans have become accustomed to. They’ve been supported in a big way by depth scoring this run, which indicates they should have plenty left in the tank this year.

Though the Oilers have beaten some very good teams to get back to the Final, they haven’t yet faced a team as good as the Panthers. In order to come out on top of this series, they will need their dynamic duo to grab the bull by the horns and dominate the way they have proven capable of in the past.

Skinner Needs a Strong Start

Though Stuart Skinner has been quite inconsistent through his NHL career to date, his numbers late in playoff series are undeniably great. That is certainly a great attribute for him and speaks to his mental strength, though the concern is that he tends to start series in the complete opposite manner.

The Oilers can’t afford to go down against the Panthers like they did a year ago, and Skinner will play a huge role in whether or not that happens. He needs to start this series the way he finished versus both the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. If that happens, his team should be able to come out on top in Game 1.

Stay Out of the Box

There hasn’t been a whole lot to criticize the Oilers about on this year’s run, though if you were to pick one area that needs to improve, it’s their penalty kill. They currently sit at just 66 percent on the penalty kill through the playoffs, which ranks 14th of the 16 teams who qualified for the postseason. The only two worse were the Ottawa Senators (64.7 percent) and the LA Kings (61.5 percent), both of whom were eliminated in the first round.

May 18, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) congratulates defenseman Seth Jones (3) on his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game seven of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Oilers will be going up against a Panthers team who hasn’t been extraordinary on the power play in the playoffs, but hasn’t been bad by any means at 23.2 percent. They have a ton of weapons on both their units and will make the Oilers pay if they play an undisciplined game. That makes it imperative that they do everything in their power to play most of tonight’s game at even strength.

Don’t Play the Panthers Game

There is a reason that the Panthers are playing in their third straight Cup Final. They are a very good team in all areas, though where they excel the most is in their physical and bullying-type style. They have a ton of huge bodies who aren’t afraid to rough up their opposition, and they thrive when opposing teams try to copy that style in an effort to beat them.

While the Oilers do have several physical weapons of their own, they rely more on a skill game. Though the physicality from the Panthers may become frustrating at times, it’s important that they continue to rely on what’s gotten them this far, rather than let their frustration take over and attempt to get into a physical bout with the Panthers.

Great Series Ahead

While it remains to be seen who will come out on top in this series, it feels like one that could very well go the distance again. These two teams stack up very well against each other in nearly every regard, which suggests that this could be one of the more memorable Stanley Cup Finals hockey fans have seen in some time.