Matthew Tkachuk on Oilers vs. Panthers rematch: 'It's pretty clear that we're the two best teams'

It's official: We have a Stanley Cup Final rematch.

During the late 1960s, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the newly formed St. Louis Blues in consecutive Cup Finals. A decade later, the Canadiens continued their dominance, beating the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup in 1977 and 1978.

In 1983, the Edmonton Oilers reached their first Stanley Cup Final, only to be swept by the New York Islanders. But the very next season, Wayne Gretzky and his teammates bounced back, beating the Islanders in five games to claim their first championship.

Sidney Crosby took a similar path to Gretzky. His young Pittsburgh Penguins fell short against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 Cup Final. Just one year later, they overcame Detroit in a seven-game series to win Crosby’s first Stanley Cup.

The stage is set for Connor McDavid to win his first Stanley Cup in a similar fashion to how two legends did before him. Last spring, the Oilers battled back from 3-0 down in the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Florida Panthers in Game 7.

Although both the Oilers and Panthers finished third in their respective divisions during the 2024-25 regular season, nobody is surprised to see these two teams back in the Cup Final. Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said confidently earlier this week that the two best teams in the NHL will be battling for the Stanley Cup.

“It’s not very often do you see a rematch in pro sports in the Final,” Tkachuk said Friday on "The Pat McAfee Show." “I think that it’s the two best teams in the league. And, to be honest, I think it’s pretty clear that we’re the two best. It’s going to make for an incredible Final.”

The Oilers navigated a handful of injuries during the regular season and posted a 48-29-5 record, three points ahead of the Panthers, who went 47-31-4. As a result, Edmonton will have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final this year.

Although this year’s regular season didn’t feature any eight- or 16-game winning streaks for the Oilers, the team has saved their best play for when it matters most. After dropping the first two games of their first-round series on the road to the L.A. Kings, Edmonton plowed through the Western Conference playoff bracket, winning 12 of 14 games.

“Going 12-2 is incredible in the regular season. It’s almost unheard of in the playoffs,” Tkachuk said. “They’re playing the best hockey of the year so far for them, and it’s going to be a battle for us. We’ve got our hands full. We’re gonna take that underdog mindset and mentality and go up there and try to do what we did last year.”

Game 1 between the Oilers and Panthers is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET in Edmonton, and then Game 2 will be played at the same time on Friday. Getting out to an early series lead will be key for the Oilers this time around.