By The Numbers: A look at the stats behind Oilers-Panthers Cup Final

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are all set to square off starting Saturday with the Stanley Cup on the line.

From Cup droughts and outstanding stats to spectacular special teams and players on pace for history, here’s a by-the-numbers look at this Stanley Cup Final and the storylines that are about to play out in this best-of-seven series.

1.81: Stuart Skinner’s season — and playoff run — has been anything but smooth, but he really hit his stride as the Oilers closed out the Canucks and defeated the Stars. He’s playing his best hockey right now, his 1.81 goals-against average and .920 save percentage over the past eight games two of the biggest reasons the Oilers emerged as the best team in the Western Conference.

2.20: Sergei Bobrovsky’s path to the Cup Final has seen him suit up opposite three of the best goalies in the league in Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jeremy Swayman, and Igor Shesterkin and come out on top. His 2.20 goals-against average through the post-season marks his best playoff run yet, and ranks him higher in the category than every goalie with double-digit starts this spring not named Swayman.

2-9-1: The Oilers’ dismal record to open the season had the team in need of a spark. Despite an overall 76-32-12 record under Jay Woodcroft, the club fired the head coach in early November and hired Kris Knoblauch, who’s overseen the team’s resurgence and run to (and through!) the playoffs, including an eight-game win streak early on in his tenure to get the team back on track.

3: This is Florida’s third trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and second consecutive appearance after losing to Vegas in Game 5 of the Cup Final last year. The franchise’s first-ever playoff run, in just their third year of existence, took them all the way to the 1996 Final, where they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche. Edmonton has previously been in seven Stanley Cup Finals.

3: This matchup features three first-overall draft picks (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; Aaron Ekblad, 2014; Connor McDavid, 2015).

4: The top of the class of 2014 is well-represented in this Cup Final, with the first four picks of that year’s draft — Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl, and Sam Bennett — all hitting the ice.

4-0-3: In seven visits to Edmonton’s Rogers Place, the Panthers have never lost in regulation, posting a 4-0-3 record.

5: The past five Stanley Cup Finals have all featured a team from the Sunshine State — Tampa Bay won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021 before falling in their attempt for a third against Colorado in 2022, while the Panthers are now back in the Final for the second straight season after losing to Vegas last June.

5: The Oilers have won five Stanley Cups through their franchise’s history, with all five coming in a seven-year span from 1984 to 1990. That ties them with the Pittsburgh Penguins for fifth-most Cup wins all-time. Another trophy this year would see them jump up to a three-team tie with the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.

5: When Corey Perry suits up for the Oilers, it’ll mark the fifth different team he’s represented in a Cup Final — that’s a league record. Since winning a championship with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, he’s appeared in the Final with Dallas, Montreal, and Tampa Bay and lost each time.

8: There’s something about that mid-season coaching change that can really jump-start a team in trouble:

10-4: Florida and Edmonton met twice in the regular season this year, with the Panthers winning both by a combined score of 10-4.

11: Of the 32 teams in the NHL, 11 have never won the Stanley Cup — including Florida. Victory for the Panthers would see the NHL crown a first-time champ for the second straight season. The last time that happened was in 2019, when the Blues won their first Cup a year after Washington finally got their own.

13: Of all the players suiting up in the Cup Final, Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the longest-tenured member of either team, with 13 years in Oilers orange since he was drafted first overall in 2011. Aleksander Barkov, drafted second overall in 2013, is the longest-tenured Panther. Both have seen some lean years before finally making it to the height of the hockey world.

14: Oilers winger Zach Hyman leads his peers in playoff goals this spring, and it isn’t particularly close. His 14 markers through 18 games are four more than second-place Wyatt Johnston of the Stars and Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl. 

15: If the Panthers are victorious in claiming the Cup, they’ll be the first team in 15 years to win it all after losing in the Final the year before. The last team to do that was the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games after losing to the same foes in six in the 2008 Final.

16: The Oilers and Panthers both have a plus-16 goal differential this post-season.  

16: Through three rounds, Edmonton has had 16 different goal-scorers. The Panthers have 14.

18: It’s been 18 years since Edmonton last made the Stanley Cup Final, a series that went all the way to Game 7 and ended in heartbreak against the Carolina Hurricanes.

19: There’s no shortage of first-round talent in this matchup, with a total of 19 first-round picks suiting up in this Cup Final. While Florida has 10 first-rounders on its roster, only two have been with the Panthers from the start. Of Edmonton’s nine first-rounders, six were actually Oilers picks.

19: Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida in playoff points, with 19. It’s his second straight year leading his team to the Cup Final.

21: All 21 skaters who’ve suited up for the Oilers this post-season have registered at least one point. All but two Panthers have done the same.

23: The Oilers know how to start strong. They lead all playoff teams in first-period goals, with 23, and are 10-4 when they score first this spring. They’re also 5-3 when leading after the first frame. They’ll need to finish strong against the Panthers, though, because…

24: Florida’s ability to surge ahead from behind is underscored by their league-leading 24 third-period goals this spring to close out games. They’re 5-3 when trailing first, and 4-2 when trailing after the first period.

27: If there were any questions about Evan Bouchard’s ability to reach elite 1D status, he’s more than answered them this spring. Bouchard’s playmaking from the blue line has driven much of Edmonton’s post-season success. He ranks third in playoff points league-wide (27) and leads all rearguards in goals (six), assists (21), and points by a wide margin.

31: Connor McDavid leads the league in playoff points this spring with 31 — that’s a 1.72 points-per-game pace through 18 matchups. He leads everyone in assists, too, with 26.

37.3: Edmonton’s special teams have been sensational this spring, tops in both power play (37.3 per cent success rate) and penalty kill.

93.9: The Oilers’ penalty kill has been stifling this post-season, operating at a 93.9 per cent success rate and going nearly an entire month without allowing a PP goal. Florida boasts the second best PK of the playoffs, at 88.2 per cent.

739: As bruised up as many of the Panthers must be, you should see the other guys. Florida’s physicality has been on full display this spring, with the team racking up a whopping (and league-leading) 739 hits in the playoffs. 

1993: The Montreal Canadiens’ 1993 championship marks the last time a Canadian team hoisted the Stanley Cup. A victory for Edmonton would erase a 31-year national drought. Montreal is also the most recent Canadian club to make the Cup Final — they sprinted all the way to the final series in 2021.

4,089: Travel is poised to play a big role in this Cup Final, with 4,089 kilometres separating Florida and Edmonton by air — that’s the longest distance between championship opponents the league’s ever had.