SCF: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers (Series Tied 3-3) Hold onto your butts, Game 7, Monday 8/24 @ 8pm ET !

[Leonardo87]

**Stanley Cup Final**
Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers

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[Hank Plank]

Florida is an odd combination of playing dirty while also embellishing every chance they can.

This exactly describes Edmonton.

 

[HANK30]

Would love to see a Canadian team win rather than another south Florida team...

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

This exactly describes Edmonton.

Good. Do what it takes to win. If your opponent wilts then tough shit.

Stuff like honour and all that nonsense is a weak excuse.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

If someone ever does its peak Barkov who just won his 2nd selke and might become best defensive forward of all time

We just had the best defensive forward of all time retire. So we know it isn’t Barkov because peak Barkov lost Selke trophy to old man Bergeron.

 

[stewy04]

Panthers - Stars would have been a better series to watch. Oh well.

After watching Dallas for 6 you are not a fan of skill. Dallas was awesome at blocking shots! So much fun

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

From an XGF% perspective at 5v5, the three teams the Oilers (1st) faced were 3rd (DAL) 4th (LAK) and 8th (VAN) in the regular season. People that are saying the Oilers have had an easy path are clueless.

The three the Panthers (5th) have faced were 18th (BOS) 21st (TBL) and 22nd (NYR). The goalies and defences they had to go through demand respect, though.

This is going to be fresh territory for both teams. Florida forechecks like Dallas but also plays a much heavier game and that's going to cause the Oilers D fits. Florida hasn't faced a team that can dominate 5v5 like the Oilers can, and their special teams are both white hot.

After hearing all year about how crappy the Tampa Bay Lightning are and how poor Kucherov doesn’t have any help, I’d be surprised if Florida fans are using that series win as a feather in the cap.

 

[Ratsreign]

We just had the best defensive forward of all time retire. So we know it isn’t Barkov because peak Barkov lost Selke trophy to old man Bergeron.

Just giving the old man his props for past service

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

This exactly describes Edmonton.

ya, all those PPs they're getting and embellishment penalties are taking...oh wait

 

[CanePanther]

I thought we were done with this in the Rangers series. Silly comments dirty is a lazy description. How about those gritty tough hard nosed Panthers. Thanks in advance

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

After watching Dallas for 6 you are not a fan of skill. Dallas was awesome at blocking shots! So much fun

Ironically after McDavid just put on one of the most highly skilled performances of the decade on the biggest stage in an elimination game!

 

[I am not exposed]

Whoever wins game 1, watch most of the board say the other team is toast...Only for that team to win the next two, and now the board says the team down 2-1 is toast....

 

[Captain Controversy]

Edmonton in 5.

The Florida win will be the first game in a blowout.

Lol the Calgary series haha

 

[IB]

Let's Go FLA! Stay out of the box but keep playing physical. Word of advice make Bouchard turn and go back to retrieve pucks he will serve up pizza's becuase he cannot take multiple hits. There are a lot of good things that he does well out there but taking hits and playing brave is not his forte. He does not have elite skating so will not be able to avoid them, Game within the game!

 

[DitchMarner]

I don't get the scheduling. Why wait until Saturday to start the SCF? Why not get underway on Thursday instead?

It's going to feel like a long wait.

 

[thegazelle]

Leaving aside the LA series, which really wasn't much of a serious challenge, the Oilers have really been in a number of precarious situations with their backs to the wall in these playoffs. Just when things seem dire, different players step up and take the mantle. This is honestly what championship teams are made of.

One can say Florida followed a similar path, having a easier opponent (relatively speaking) in the first round. Boston was pretty bruised from the Leafs series, but regardless, Florida handled them well.

I thought Florida/NYR series was a lot closer than it seemed and should have gone 7, but Florida's defence really carried them that series.

I think Edmonton had more serious tests against Vancouver and for this past Dallas series, it wasn't so much that Dallas played poorly (which they did at points as their offence dried up in the end), but the Oilers just played better. I watched the games and just the little things like winning the puck battles, doing the behind the scenes things to break up a play that never materialized. Blocking shots. And of course, special teams - these are all traits of past champions.

Both of these teams deserve to be in the Finals. Yes, Montreal was in the Covid version of the Finals, but I put a bit fat asterisks on that one - this is the legitimate Canadian team in the finals. While I would love to see my Oilers bring the cup back to Canada, I just hope to continue to see great hockey and close games but two fairly evenly matched, exciting teams.

 

[BTO]

I mean, since you're bringing up stats from a year ago. which team beat the 135 point Bruins?

The Bruins.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Leaving aside the LA series, which really wasn't much of a serious challenge, the Oilers have really been in a number of precarious situations with their backs to the wall in these playoffs. Just when things seem dire, different players step up and take the mantle. This is honestly what championship teams are made of.

One can say Florida followed a similar path, having a easier opponent (relatively speaking) in the first round. Boston was pretty bruised from the Leafs series, but regardless, Florida handled them well.

I thought Florida/NYR series was a lot closer than it seemed and should have gone 7, but Florida's defence really carried them that series.

I think Edmonton had more serious tests against Vancouver and for this past Dallas series, it wasn't so much that Dallas played poorly (which they did at points as their offence dried up in the end), but the Oilers just played better. I watched the games and just the little things like winning the puck battles, doing the behind the scenes things to break up a play that never materialized. Blocking shots. And of course, special teams - these are all traits of past champions.

Both of these teams deserve to be in the Finals. Yes, Montreal was in the Covid version of the Finals, but I put a bit fat asterisks on that one - this is the legitimate Canadian team in the finals. While I would love to see my Oilers bring the cup back to Canada, I just hope to continue to see great hockey and close games but two fairly evenly matched, exciting teams.

I've said it before and I'm saying it again, the Kings get underrated because they keep losing to the Oilers. They're a very good team that really needed to part ways with their coach and lean on their talent a little bit more. They're way too passive and that just doesn't work against Edmonton.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Taking Florida in 6

 

[Chaos2k7]

We just had the best defensive forward of all time retire. So we know it isn’t Barkov because peak Barkov lost Selke trophy to old man Bergeron.

Barkov has 2 Selkes, and beat Bergeron during his streak of Selkes, weird take

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

I see a lot of Florida fans saying that the Oilers haven't faced a team like them before. ...That's true.

But I think the opposite is true as well. McDavid and Draisatl can and have won series all by themselves. Bouchard/Ekholm is legit one of, if not the best pairing in the league. They can shut teams down. Obviously they need Skinner to play well, that's the X-factor here.

I think Oilers proved quite abit against Dallas series, they can win in multiple ways... and playoffs are different than the regular season no matter what occurred then.

 

[Chaos2k7]

After hearing all year about how crappy the Tampa Bay Lightning are and how poor Kucherov doesn’t have any help, I’d be surprised if Florida fans are using that series win as a feather in the cap.

The team that made it to 3 of the last 4 Finals and won twice?

The death of the Lightning is vastly overstated.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Let's Go FLA! Stay out of the box but keep playing physical. Word of advice make Bouchard turn and go back to retrieve pucks he will serve up pizza's becuase he cannot take multiple hits. There are a lot of good things that he does well out there but taking hits and playing brave is not his forte. He does not have elite skating so will not be able to avoid them, Game within the game!

There are stats to look this stuff up, you know.

Bouchard has taken 47 hits, which is 13th most in the league among defencemen.

He has 8 giveaways (22nd) and 12 takeaways (T-3rd)

According to Natural Stat Trick, the clubhouse leader in giveaways for the playoffs is Aaron Ekblad with 20. And one takeaway.

 

[Coffey]

Why do fans of the 30 fanbases not involved in the series think they can come in and dunk on people, lol. You have been home for a month or more.

Brother you don't know the half of it.

 

[Giggli G]

My favourite thing is Florida fans who think Barkov has magical properties. Like the guy who said Barkov > McDavid earlier in the thread.

Like, please understand that McDavid has close to as many points as your two top scorers combined. Lol

 

[Sticksandsun]

The Panthers are slim favorites in Vegas (-130 which implies a 56% chance of winning). This poll has it as a 55/45 percent split. I don't get whining about lack of respect, this series is a coinflip to everyone lol, it's the 2 best teams in the league.