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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[MessierII]

Jesus Christ you Oilers fans gloat. Yeah, my team is out of it, but it could have gone different. We hit two posts in OT in game 1, and last night puck luck was our enemy again. Stankoven almost buried one at the end.

Also, BOTH your PK and Skinner are due to regress to the mean. You aren't going to be that good forever.

I think the Panthers are going to fix that.

Incoming "But-we-are-just-better-than-the-whole-league-now" posts in 3....2....1....

Doesn’t need to be that good forever just for another 4-7 games.

 

[Coffey]

Doesn’t need to be that good forever just for another 4-7 games.

FOUR GAMES?

Get em, Panther fans

 

[Aphid]

Edmonton is a very flawed team who has gone on a heater. There is a team like this every year. Due to that, they better take advantage of their opportunity to ride this and win it now. If they don't, their management will most likely look at this team as good enough to win and run it back next year without making any significant changes.

 

[winnipegger]

Definitely the two best teams in the league, the system works.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Whatever, dude. You know it all from the TNT panel, Bravo.
We’ll see, as you say.
You can sit here and thump your chest all week if you’d like to in the meantime.

This definitely goes both ways, I'm seeing some major "my dad is stronger than your dad" type posts from Florida fans too.

I actually enjoy some mean-spirited jabs between fans of the best two teams left.

It's a welcome break from Canucks fans still going on about Thatcher Demko in every single Oiler thread.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Florida maybe doesn't have a guy the level of Heiskanen, but their depth is far better. Dallas top guys got worn down with how much they had to play.

Florida's PP breaking through the Oilers PK will be key. The Oilers special teams won them the series against Dallas, and made the difference against Vancouver aswell.

Oilers will get their PP goals but if you can match them or atleast make it close Florida should win this, if Oilers dominate special teams again it'll be hard even if Florida is the superior 5 on 5 team.

 

[TheNumber4]

I'm not sure how much Vinny gets in given his propensity for bad turnovers under pressure, especially given Florida's more aggressive forecheck.

I also don't think he drops the gloves too much, but he certainly is a presence in post-whistle shenanigans; Vinny having two different opponents in a headlock at the same time is among the most hilarious stuff I've seen in a game, and he's done it multiple times.

He's a beauty but it looks like Broberg is stealing his spot.

I think he was hampered by injury for awhile now. With fatigue it finally started translating into some sloppy play and Broberg was inserted. In 6 days time that could change. While Broberg has been awesome, I could still see Knob going back to a refreshed Vinny.

He’ll drop them if need be. He’s never shied from a fight but I also don’t think anyone’s really asking him to. I know for a fact the Cats won’t.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Edmonton is a very flawed team who has gone on a heater. There is a team like this every year. Due to that, they better take advantage of their opportunity to ride this and win it now. If they don't, their management will most likely look at this team as good enough to win and run it back next year without making any significant changes.

Best record in the league the last seven months is a "heater" now?

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Two of those players weren't even in the lineup last night.

McLeod and Ryan are part of the best PK in hockey. Recently. Subject to change

The Oilers are in the Stanley Cup final. No shit sherlock

I'm pretty fine with our bottom 6 but thanks for your concern, I'm sure someone somewhere cares. If you're ok with this bottom 6 then your standards are so low as to be non existant

I'll say, though, I'd rather have the best one-two punch since Crosby-Malkin, Yzerman-Fedorov or Lemieux-Francis than a marginally stronger line 3 and 4.

Different strokes for different folks, though; you do you of course!

I happen to be a huge McDavid fan and want to see the Oilers win. I guess I'm just not blinded by homerism on the awfulness of the bottom 6

 

[Dread Clawz]

If the Panthers can stay out of the box, I think they win.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

This is the most exciting finals matchup for me in a long time.

If you go by just regular season statistics, overall it's two top 5 teams in the League. Feels like it's been a while since we had that in the finals. There's been some lopsided ones lately.

Tampa - Colorado is probably the closest on paper in recent memory, but even in that series Colorado was so dominant in the first two games at the Pepsi Center, to a point where most people were saying it's already over.

Boston - St. Louis is the closest final in a long time and the only one to go to Game 7 in the last 12 years, but St. Louis was a 2nd half team and their overall stats suffered because of it.

So it's kinda funny how this type of matchup has been more rare than the norm lately. We got the #2 and #3 corsi regular season teams, some of the best offensive and defensive numbers, best special teams of the playoffs, and so on.

I think both teams can show something the other hasn't seen so far and that's how it should be.

Florida has been able to control zone time consistently and none of their opponents are teams that excelled in this area. It will be tougher to do against the Oilers and I think they will need more quick strike offense rather than dominating and winning by 1 goal.

On the flip side, Florida's battle level and physicality is really high. Since Game 6 against the Canucks it's felt like at times the Oilers opponents were lacking some juice. Credit goes to Edmonton, but I can't see the Panthers missing that pushback for multiple consecutive periods.

At the end of the day it probably comes down to how much McDrai can do. And that's not saying the Oilers don't have depth, but those are the ultimate gamebreakers and to beat this Florida team they need to do exactly that. If PoMo isn't tipping his cap to those guys in his last presser telling us how they just couldn't stop them, then you probably like Florida's chances to grind it out.

As a neutral fan, I'm hoping for a lot of back and forth punches thrown inside games and from game to game. The character and talent on both sides is certainly there to make it happen.

 

[Cats711]

Sir they’ve killed nearly 30 consecutive penalties as well

That they have, which is very impressive.

My arguement was only that points scored by a D doesn't mean that D is better. I think both teams are very good. I think Edmonton has the better offence, Certainly can't argue with the point McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman put up.

I think Florida will suppress it a bit (not to the extent Dallas did last night). But you can't really keep the Oilers off the scoresheet.

I think Florida have the better goaltender but I would have conceded that in our previous 3 series to Tampa, Boston and NYR as they had the better goaltenders.

What Florida does very well is limiting chances (although give up some breakaways which will be even more dangerous given our next opponents) and we put a lot of pucks on net and cause alot of havoc in the offensive zone with our heavy forecheck.

I'm looking forward to a great series. I've picked Florida 4-2 but really could go any number of ways.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I'm going for the Oilers, so I apologize to Edmonton fans in advance.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

If the Panthers can stay out of the box, I think they win.

Its going to come down to the PP for FLA more than the PK imo. Can't discount how good the Oilers PK has been.

 

[Coffey]

Are people still hung up on the Oilers being PP merchants so much that they forget they are 5v5 merchants too?

Oilers had 193 5v5 goals in reg szn, 39 in POs
Florida had 156 5v5 goals in reg szn, 31 in POs

 

[TheNumber4]

Edmonton is a very flawed team who has gone on a heater. There is a team like this every year. Due to that, they better take advantage of their opportunity to ride this and win it now. If they don't, their management will most likely look at this team as good enough to win and run it back next year without making any significant change

Flawed team that was best regular season team since November. So flawed they have elite PP and PK and 5s that all translated to the playoffs.

 

[T REX]

Imho...this series comes down to Skinner.

If he stays god mode...FL is in trouble.

McDavid is the best since TGO/Mario.

If Skinner gives up the booty...FLwins

 

[GrumpyKoala]

Top 6
OILERS ----V--------- CATS

Bottom 6
OILERS ----------V--- CATS

Defense
OILERS ---------V---- CATS

Goaltending
OILERS -----------V-- CATS

Powerplay
OILERS ---V---------- CATS

PK
OILERS -------V------ CATS

 

[TheNumber4]

I happen to be a huge McDavid fan and want to see the Oilers win. I guess I'm just not blinded by homerism on the awfulness of the bottom 6

That awful bottom 6 outplayed the Nucks and Stars elite bottom 6.

 

[bobholly39]

If the Panthers can stay out of the box, I think they win.

They have the most penalties so far in these playoffs.

2nd most penalized team in the regular season this year
4th more penalties in regular season in the past 10 years all teams combined (since 2014-2015 season)

So - staying out of the box isn't exactly their thing...

 

[Fishy McScales]

I happen to be a huge McDavid fan and want to see the Oilers win. I guess I'm just not blinded by homerism on the awfulness of the bottom 6

What's with the attitude? "No shit Sherlock" reply to the fact that the Oilers are in the SCF?

I bring it up because teams don't make the SCF with any part of their lineup being "awful".

And why is the PK about to tank do you have a crystal ball?

Actually, are you well?

 

[GlenviewFlames]

Oilers Suck! Go Panthers! By the way, where do I make my prediction? #panthersin6

 

[Mr Kot]

Panthers Suck! Go Panthers!

 

[Coffey]

Oilers Suck! Go Panthers!

Welcome to HF!

 

[Just Rude]

Both Kane and Vinny are nursing something minor enough in my estimation to be ready to go in 6 days. Nurse is back to playing beastly defensive hockey. Trust me, you’ll get a taste of all 3 in this series.

Get cable. Or fibe. Just get rid of the rabbit ears TV and watch more hockey. They have really good deals these days. You can actually watch games OUTSIDE of Alberta.

Bennett is a douche, sure, but the Cats play in the same division as Reaves and Jeannot, and just finished a series with Rempe. Any of those guys would mop the floor with anyone on the Oilers. Imagine thinking Florida will be intimidated by the Oilers.

Stop talking tough. You're embarrassing yourself. Take a deep breath, leave the basement, get a Slushie and go play outside.