It’s official: for the second consecutive season, the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. The Oilers clinched their second straight trip to the Finals with a 4-1 series win over the Dallas Stars. In the Eastern Conference, the Panthers defeated the Carolina Panthers by the same 4-1 series score.
Canadian hockey fans will be tuned into the finals to see if the Oilers can snap the streak of 32 years since a Canadian team has lifted Lord Stanley. The last team was the Montreal Canadians in the 1992-1993 season. WIth just under a week until the Stanley Cup Finals gets under way in Edmonton, let’s take a look at how this series could play out and if the Oilers have a shot of bringing the Stanley Cup back north of the border.
Who Won the Stanley Cup in 2024?
In 2024, the Panthers and Oilers battled in a grueling seven-game series that saw Florida win the Stanley Cup on home ice in Game 7.
Florida jumped out to a 3-0 series lead and looked to have the victory wrapped up. But Connor McDavid and the Oilers battled back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7. The Oilers were looking to become the first team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals and win the series.
Unfortunately for the Oilers and Canadian hockey fans, the Panthers managed to win Game 7 by a score of 2-1, winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
For Florida, this will mark the third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals the team will be a part of. In 2022-2023, the Panthers lost to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games. It is the fourth Eastern Conference Championship for the franchise, with the first being in 1995-1996, when the team lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Finals.
Here is a list of recent Stanley Cup Champions in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
| Winning Team | Defeated Team | Year of Stanley Cup Victory |
| Florida Panthers | Edmonton Oilers | 2024 |
| Las Vegas Golden Knights | Florida Panthers | 2023 |
| Colorado Avalanche | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2022 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Montreal Canadiens | 2021 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Dallas Stars | 2020 |
| St. Louis Blues | Boston Bruins | 2019 |
| Washington Capitals | Las Vegas Golden Knights | 2018 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Nashville Predators | 2017 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | San Jose Sharks | 2016 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2015 |
Who Won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024?
In a rare occurrence, the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy for the NHL Playoffs MVP was not from the team that won the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Conn Smythe was awarded to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. He is just the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe for the losing team in the Stanley Cup Finals.
McDavid had a legendary Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. He received 16 of the 17 votes in Conn Smythe voting and finished the playoffs with 8 goals and 34 assists in 25 playoff games. It is the fourth-highest point total in a single playoffs behind just Mario Lemieux with 44 points in 1991 and Gretzky with 47 points in 1995, and 43 points in 1988.
Here is a list of recent Conn Smythe Trophy Winners in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
| Player’s Name | Team Name | Year of Conn Smythe Victory |
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 2024 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | Las Vegas Golden Knights | 2023 |
| Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche | 2022 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2021 |
| Victor Hedman | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2020 |
| Ryan O’Reilly | St. Louis Blues | 2019 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | 2018 |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2017 |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2016 |
| Duncan Keith | Chicago Blackhawks | 2015 |
2025 Stanley Cup Finals Preview
This year’s Finals promises to be another explosive series, especially with the Oilers seeking revenge after coming up just short last season. If the Oilers want to avenge last year’s loss, they will need to do so without key forward Zach Hyman, who had to have surgery for an upper-body injury sustained during the playoffs. This postseason, Hyman has eleven points in 15 games and is a +10. Since joining the Oilers in 2021-2022, Hyman has 60 points in 68 playoff games.
The key for the Oilers will be goaltending. The Jekyll and Hyde performances from Stuart Skinner were evident in last year’s playoffs and have returned again this season. Skinner has three shutouts in this year’s playoffs, but has also allowed quite a few soft goals. We all know the Oilers can score, but if they want any hope of winning, Skinner will need to keep the puck out of the net.
Florida made several key additions this year and is somehow even deeper than last season. The Panthers added defenseman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand to the lineup this year. Marchand won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2020.
The Panthers will want to maintain their physical style of play against the more skilled Oilers team. Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett will lead the charge, with plenty of physicality available up and down the Panthers’ lineup.
2025 Stanley Cup Final Prediction
It’s looking like this could be the year that the Stanley Cup returns to Canada. History shows that when teams meet in back-to-back finals, the two teams will often split series victories. The last time two teams met in two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and the same team won both times was in 1977 and 1978.
Although Florida has a more physical lineup and better goaltending, the Oilers have the two best hockey players in the world in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. After a devastating loss in last year’s finals, Edmonton should be able to use that as motivation to bring Lord Stanley’s Mug home to Canada.
Stanley Cup Finals Betting
On sites like BetVictor Canada, you can bet on a long list of outcomes and in-game props for the Stanley Cup Finals games. Here are a few of the more popular Stanley Cup Finals betting plays to consider before the series starts on June 4th.
Stanley Cup Winner Betting
Before the series starts, you can bet on the outright winner of the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a type of futures bet, but given how close the two teams are to each other, the payout odds likely won’t be very high.
Money Line Betting
Money Line betting allows you to place a wager on the team you think will win each game. This is as simple as a bet can get and generally has lower odds, especially prior to the game starting.
Puck Line Betting
Puck Line is like a point spread for hockey games. Each game will have a puck line, usually -1.5 or -2.5 goals. The winning team must win by at least two goals for a -1.5 dds. Alternatively, betting on a +2.5 underdog means if the team keeps it within two goals or wins the game outright, you would win the bet.
Stanley Cup Finals Prop Betting
You can also bet on nearly every statistic as a prop bet during the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Popular prop bets include shots on goal, goals scored, total points, and even goalie saves.
Stanley Cup Finals Same Game Parlay
You can also add a few different prop bets to a Same Game Parlay ticket. This will increase the payout odds, but also lower the odds of winning the bet. Each bet on the Same Game Parlay ticket must win in order for players to get their payout.
Stanley Cup FAQs
In the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers will meet for the second consecutive year. It is also the third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance for the Florida Panthers.
Yes, the Edmonton Oilers have won five Stanley Cups, all between the years of 1983 and 1990. These Stanley Cup victories were led by legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, and Paul Coffey.
The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals for the team’s first-ever Stanley Cup victory. Florida won the Stanley Cup in Game 7 of the Finals by a score of 2-1.
