Stanley Cup Playoffs Report: The Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals are starting tomorrow and the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers could be in for one of best series in a long time.
Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers
So we all know that the Panthers can shut down teams as they did in their series against the New York Rangers. The Rangers after game three could only muster five goals in their last three games. On top of that Bobrovsky is playing some of the best hockey he is ever played. Now the task for the Panthers is to shut down the best two players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Even if they manage to do this the Oilers still have Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent Hopkins who can step up. The stakes are always higher in the finals but this might be too much for the Panthers to deal with.
Not saying that the Oilers don’t have a tough job on their hands. Blocking shots will be again the order of the day. But on top of that stopping Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuck will be difficult as well. Each team had five days rest so it really comes down to who makes more mistakes. If the Panthers can limit how many times they take penalties and can beat the Oilers five on five then Florida has a great chance. Edmonton on the other hand has had the best power play and penalty kill of any team in the playoffs so using their speed to make the Panthers take penalties will be a key to their game.
Finally it will come down to who can stay healthy, make the other team pay for their mistakes and ride a hot goalie. It all starts on Saturday and it should be a great series. Here’s hoping it is!
With all that went on during the regular season I don’t see how the Oilers don’t pull this one off.
Edmonton in Six
Have a great summer everyone!
