Subban says this thing will decide the Stanley Cup champion

P.K. Subban. David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

P.K. Subban says this one thing will decide the Stanley Cup champion

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jun 3, 2024 7:01 PM ET

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers have two of the best offenses in the NHL.

But when the puck drops for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban believes all eyes should be on Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner and Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the two players Subban believes will have the biggest impact on who will win the Cup.

“Edmonton can win this series, but it’s going to take Stuart Skinner to be better than Sergei Bobrovsky, which I don’t believe is going to happen,” Subban said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “… Sergei Bobrovsky has been unbelievable, and I believe that he’ll be the best player in this Final when it’s all said and done. … To me the most important thing is the goaltending duel. Sergei Bobrovsky has to be Florida’s best player, and I think that he will be.”

Sergei Bobrovsky posted a 1.89 goals-against average in the ECF, marking the second-best GAA in a series by a @FlaPanthers goaltender (min. 6 GP) behind John Vanbiesbrouck (1.68 in 1996 CSF). His performance was crucial in what was one of the closest CF/SF series in NHL history.… pic.twitter.com/TEqFnv8nLm
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 3, 2024

A two-time Vezina Trophy winner, Bobrovsky was integral in Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. He posted a 12-6 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and .915 save percentage and he’s performing as good, if not better this postseason.

The 35-year-old Russian has a miniscule 2.20 GAA during 17 playoff appearances this year, losing consecutive games just once.

Conversely, Skinner has had a rougher go of things during Edmonton’s run. His 11-5 record and 2.50 GAA are solid, but his .897 save percentage is tied for the 15th-worst among all playoff goalies, and he’s allowed three or more goals in seven of his 16 starts.

However, Skinner seemed to find his stride against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

Stuart Skinner has turned it around for the @EdmontonOilers pic.twitter.com/fZKHjEV940
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 3, 2024

Both goalies have their work cut out for them. Edmonton has the second-highest scoring offense in the playoffs (3.5 goals per game), while Florida is fourth (3.24 goals per game).

The Oilers also boast the top four playoff scorers in Connor McDavid (31 points), Leon Draisaitl (28 points), Evan Bouchard (27 points) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (20 points), while the Panthers have three players in the top 10 — Matthew Tkachuk (19 points), Aleksander Barkov (17 points) and Carter Verhaeghe (17 points).

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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