The 2024 Stanley Cup Final is set, featuring the preseason favorite - the Edmonton Oilers - taking on a team that made it here last season, the Florida Panthers. Will it be a Canadian team hoisting Lord Stanley for the first time since 1993 or the Panthers rebounding from last year’s loss? Let’s get into our preview to break things down.
Edmonton Goes From Struggles To Dominance
As mentioned, the Edmonton Oilers were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup despite never making the Final since drafting Connor McDavid in 2015. Of course, he is still the primary reason they’ve been a perennial favorite to win it all.
Paired with Leon Draisaitl, the two recorded over 100 points this past season. In other words, they put up more offensive production than some entire teams. While McDavid didn’t win the Art Ross Trophy for the most points in the league for the fourth straight year, he still provided fans with the first 100-assist season since 1990.
Ironically enough, that was the last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup, but after having said all that, they started this season about as terribly as they could have imagined. It wasn’t on the level of the San Jose Sharks, but a 5-12-1 season is quite abysmal for a Stanley Cup favorite.
Panthers Pounce Right From The Jump
On the flip side, the Panthers wasted no time proving they were destined to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final. After upsetting the Boston Bruins in the first round last year following their record-setting season, Florida stole the Atlantic Division from them by just one point.
Additionally, after they eliminated the Bruins in the second round this year, they were matched against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Following their six-game series win, they became one of the handful of teams to eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners in back-to-back seasons.
It’s also worth noting that they are the sixth team to reach the Stanley Cup Final after losing it the previous season. Of the previous five teams, the first three lost it yet again, while the most recent two bounced back and won it all.
How Edmonton And Florida Match Up
Of the two teams we just mentioned to win it all a season after losing the Stanley Cup Final, one was the Oilers in 1984. If they want to keep the Panthers from doing the same, it’s going to be all about their power play.
We already mentioned the elite offensive firepower of McDavid and Draisaitl, and that extends to Zach Hyman. It’s Hyman who has recorded the most goals this postseason with 14. As you’d expect, it’s McDavid and Draisaitl with the most overall points, with 31 and 28, respectively.
Better yet, McDavid is on pace to set an NHL record for the most assists in the postseason, as his 26 are just five behind fellow Edmonton legend Wayne Gretzky. Many of those have come on the aforementioned power play, which has been unmatched.
The Oilers scored a power play goal in 11 of their first 12 games this postseason, and overall, it’s been hitting at a remarkable 37.3% in these Stanley Cup playoffs. It presents a perfect clash of good-on-good, as the Panthers penalty kill has performed at an 88.2% rate.
As impressive as that is, the reason why Edmonton has been able to get over the hump has been their improvement on defense and in between the pipes. They have the only penalty kill better than Florida, executing at a rate of 93.9%.
That type of balance is what they’ll need to rely upon to upset the Panthers, because, at the end of the day, Florida is still the slight favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup. That’s thanks to the physicality they bring while being sacrificial, deep and just as balanced.
While Matthew Tkachuk receives most of the attention when it comes to the Panthers, and rightfully so, one key matchup we have our eyes on involves Aleksander Barkov. For a team to have an elite center that can mark Connor McDavid is all but unheard of, but if there is one out there, it’s Barkov.
We’re certainly not suggesting that he will completely shut down McDavid, but Barkov is the best possible matchup. Of course, it also helps that Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky looks like his 2017 self, which is when he won the Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goalie. He’s also the first Panther listed in terms of the Conn Smythe Trophy odds.
2024 Stanley Cup Odds And Betting Markets
Speaking of odds, we couldn’t provide a 2024 Stanley Cup Final preview without discussing the better markets. As mentioned, the Panthers are the favorites, but it’s far from significant. Overall, Florida is -130 to win the Stanley Cup, and Over 5.5 games is heavily priced as the favorite.
In other words, oddsmakers expect a Panthers victory in six games, and we’ll back the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup Final (-130). However, interestingly enough, it’s Edmonton who leads the list when it comes to the playoff MVP. That would, of course, be with Connor McDavid. Trailing just behind him in that regard is Florida’s Aleksander Barkov, which speaks to the key matchup we mentioned earlier. You can also find more individual-based betting markets, especially with what looks to be such an evenly-matched Stanley Cup Final.
Some of those are as basic as which skater will score the most goals in the series to more specific, such as whether or not Connor McDavid will break Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most postseason points with 48.
