The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers are set to face off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final rematch at Rogers Place tonight. Last year, the Panthers clinched their first-ever Stanley Cup title by defeating the Oilers in a thrilling seven-game series. Edmonton is eager to avenge that loss, while Florida aims to secure back-to-back championships and solidify their place as a modern-day hockey dynasty.
Here’s a look at the projected lineups for both teams:
Edmonton Oilers
Based on the latest reports, here’s how the Oilers are expected to line up for Game 1:
Forwards:
Defense:
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Goalies:
Stuart Skinner
Forward Connor Brown is expected to be in the lineup after recovering from an illness that kept him out of practice on Tuesday. However, the Oilers will be without Zach Hyman, who is recovering from wrist surgery. Jeff Skinner will be a scratched player.
On the power play, the Oilers are expected to deploy a unit consisting of Corey Perry, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard. The second unit may feature Evander Kane, Adam Henrique, Viktor Arvidsson, John Klingberg, and Jake Walman.
The penalty kill is likely to feature Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brett Kulak, Evan Bouchard, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Darnell Nurse, and Jake Walman.
Florida Panthers
Here’s the projected lineup for the Florida Panthers:
Forwards:
Defense:
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Goalies:
Sergei Bobrovsky
A.J. Greer will be out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury. Jesper Boqvist will take his place in the lineup.
The Panthers’ power-play units are expected to be led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart, and Aaron Ekblad. The second unit may consist of Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Seth Jones.
On the penalty kill, the Panthers are likely to rely on Tomas Nosek, Eetu Luostarinen, Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Dmitry Kulikov, and Seth Jones.
Game Preview
The Oilers and Panthers have had contrasting paths to the Final. The Oilers overcame a 3-0 deficit in their first-round series. Since then, they have gone 12-2. The Panthers are making their third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final and are looking to become the first team since the Tampa Bay Lightning to win back-to-back titles. Florida defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games to advance to the Cup Final.
Edmonton is a slight favorite heading into Game 1, capitalizing on home-ice advantage. All eyes will be on Stuart Skinner in the Oilers' net and Sergei Bobrovsky for the Panthers.
Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET, and the game will be broadcast on Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, and MAX.
