Edmonton, Alberta – The plaque of game pucks marking the Florida Panthers’ first 12 wins this playoff run to the Stanley Cup Final is full of a wide array of colors.
There are three bearing the logo of the Tampa Bay Lightning from the first round, two of the Toronto Maple Leafs from the second and three more of the Carolina Hurricanes from the Eastern Conference final.
It’s visual evidence just how good they have been on the road, going 8-2 into just the second final in NHL history featuring teams that started all three series on the way there away from home. The Panthers again open on the road when they play at the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 on Wednesday night, looking to keep their good vibes going far from South Florida.
“We’ve been having some good starts on the road, and we want to bring that for sure this series,” top defenseman Gustav Forsling said Tuesday. “We like being on the road with each other.”
Players brushed off the home/road splits – “That’s just the stats,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said – but there may be something much deeper to it. The Panthers travel differently than most teams in the league, often staying overnight during the regular season and choosing to value extra time at home in the playoffs before flying.
“We have a lot of good people in our organization who are working on that stuff and doing the research (on) what is the best for the recovery and all that stuff,” defenseman Nikko Mikkola said. “As a player, you don’t have to think too much. You just do what they tell you and just go with that.”
The Panthers opted to practice at home Monday, then travel the 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) to Edmonton on Tuesday. They followed a similar routine last year, when they beat the Oilers in the final.
“We just got off the plane, went to the gym, did a little activation stuff and feeling really good right now and I’m sure we will feel good tomorrow morning, too,” forward Jesper Boqvist said, adding he’s not sure why Florida is so good in unfriendly confines.
“I don’t have a secret answer to that, but I think we are comfortable either way.”
So are the Oilers, who are 6-3 away from home. Veteran forward Adam Henrique, who in 2012 played for New Jersey against Los Angeles in the only other final with teams that started the first three rounds on the road, considers it a project of collective maturity.
“Good teams, you just find a way,” Henrique said. “It’s a business trip. You go and have got to do your job, go take care of business and put yourself in a good spot to come home.”
Brown a question
Edmonton won’t have winger Zach Hyman the rest of the way after he was injured late in the West final against Dallas. There’s a little bit of lineup intrigue elsewhere, too.
Coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday he expected Connor Brown, who missed the clincher last round, to play in Game 1. Brown missed practice Tuesday with an illness, and Knoblauch said the 31-year-old would be a game-time decision.
If Brown is able to play, it looks like Jeff Skinner would remain in, with Viktor Arvidsson potentially coming out. Skinner was a healthy scratch from Game 1 of the first round until replacing Hyman in Game 5 against the Stars and scoring in that win.
Skinner, who played over 1,000 regular-season games before finally making his playoff debut, has tried his best to stay ready for his opportunity.
“When you get this far, there’s a lot at stake and a lot more emotion and excitement involved in everything,” Skinner said. “You get this close, you want to put your best foot forward and that will be exciting.”
More Perry
Corey Perry is about to play in the final for a fifth time in six years and the sixth time in his career, he just turned 40 and he does not have a contract beyond this season.
Does that mean he’s considering retirement? Nope.
“That’s the plan is to be back next year,” Perry said. “It’s just not in me to think about it. There’s a lot of things that I love doing. I love playing. I like being around the room. I don’t think that’s going to be coming into my head any time soon, either, and it’s just who I am.”
Oilers slightly favored over Panthers
Las Vegas – The Stanley Cup Final is so close to being a tossup, Florida would likely be favored if Panthers had home-ice advantage.
But that edge belongs to Edmonton, which largely explains why the Oilers are slight favorites to win the series, which begins Wednesday.
“However you want to look at this pie, you could make an argument that either team could be favored,” Caesars Sportsbook head of hockey Karry Shreeve said. “Home ice is definitely playing a part. You’re just playing the percentages. The team that wins Game 1 of the Stanley Cup, they go on to win roughly 75% of the time.”
BetMGM Sportsbook lists the Oilers as -130 favorites to win Game 1 and take that important 1-0 series lead. The sportsbook makes Edmonton as the -125 favorite to become the first Canadian team since Montreal in 1993 to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Defending champion Florida, which beat Edmonton in seven games last year, is the +105 underdog.
BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said about 55% of the money has come in on the Oilers.
“I would expect that to probably continue,” Cipollini said. “I think we’ll probably take a little more Oilers money just because of Connor McDavid, but this is a rematch. Florida won last year, so I think we will end up getting an even projection.”
Hockey handicapper Alex B. Smith, who co-hosts The Ice Guys podcast, doesn’t buy the Oilers should be favored.
“You don’t see rematches too often in the Cup Final,” Smith said. “When you do, you always ask yourself the obvious question: Are these two teams better or worse than they were last year? I’d say Florida is a better version of themselves from last year. Edmonton (is) slightly worse than last year, especially when you look at no Zach Hyman available for this series. Connor Brown is returning for Game 1, but how healthy is he going to be?
“I give the edges to Florida based off of they’ve been playing better, sound defense. I think they’re a tighter team than they were last year.”
McDavid to repeat?
Edmonton’s captain became the second skater and sixth player to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP last season while playing on the losing team.
McDavid leads this postseason in scoring with 26 points, one ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl, and is the +100 favorite at BetMGM to win the Conn Smythe, giving him a chance to make even more history even if the Panthers win.
“Are they really going to give McDavid back-to-back Conn Smythes in losing efforts?” Cipollini asked. “He is the favorite because of the points scored and there’s already a precedent that they could give it to him here, but that’s something to watch as the games get going. If there is a Florida player that isn’t really standing out … there is a real world where it could be him again in a losing effort.”
Relying on Skinner
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner has long been viewed as a weakness on the roster, a reputation that appeared to be sealed when he was benched two games into the playoffs.
But Skinner is a major reason Edmonton is still playing. He has allowed one or zero goals in five of his past seven starts, three of them shutouts.
Another great run in the net could put Skinner, listed +3500 at BetMGM, in position to win the Conn Smythe.
“I would not have told you this was sustainable before,” Smith said of Skinner’s hot play. “Now, with one series left, it certainly is sustainable.”
Experienced vs. tired Panthers
Florida is making its third consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, another deep run in which fatigue could finally catch up to the Panthers. Or they could simply be on a heater having won 10 of their previous 11 playoff series.
Shreeve said the metrics point to a Panthers championship and though either outcome would be fine with Caesars, a Florida victory would be better.
“I don’t hate where we’re at with this one,” Shreeve said. “Last year was a little bit tougher because more people liked Florida, but people are all about Edmonton this postseason, which I like.”
NBA romp could benefit NHL
Because this series apparently could go either way and Oklahoma City is heavily favored over Indiana in the NBA Finals, that could increase betting interest in the Stanley Cup Final.
“I think it helps the NBA is getting the less sexier matchup,” Shreeve said. “The more bettable series is going to be Edmonton-Florida. If things stay tight, it has a chance to go six or seven games, which would help.”
Blackhawks’ Blashill hires Vellucci
Chicago – The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Mike Vellucci (Farmington) as an assistant coach for Jeff Blashill’s first staff with his new team.
The Blackhawks announced the addition of Vellucci on Monday. He joins Michael Peca and Anders Sorensen as Blashill’s assistants. Goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, video coach Matt Meacham and assistant video coach Adam Gill round out the staff.
Vellucci, 58, spent the previous five seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was an assistant general manager and director of hockey operations for the Carolina Hurricanes from 2014-19.
Vellucci also was an assistant coach for the U.S. when it won the world championship last month. Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar (Mt. Clemens) and defenseman Alex Vlasic were part of the winning American team.
“Serving as an assistant coach at the world championship this summer and winning a gold medal for our country alongside Frank Nazar and Alex Vlasic will bring such valuable experience to this group,” Blashill said in a release. “That kind of championship-caliber background only makes our team better and I’m excited to get to work.”
Blashill, 51, took over as Chicago’s head coach last month. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant to Jon Cooper with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hurricanes aim to punch through
Raleigh, N.C. – There’s been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final. General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind’Amour view that as a positive.
The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year’s loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer: improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations.
“We set the bar very, very high,” Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind’Amour. “Every year we expect to be at least competing for a Cup and our goal is to win one or more. … I love that we are where we are and we’re going to keep pushing to get to where we want to go.”
Carolina’s 519 regular-season points over the past five seasons is tied for the NHL’s best with the Colorado Avalanche. Its 35 postseason wins in that span trail the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the last two playoff teams standing for a second straight year.
Carolina has top players locked up to long-term deals in forwards Sebastian Aho (through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis (2031-32) and Andrei Svechnikov (2028-29), and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2032-33).
They also recently reached an extension with trade addition Taylor Hall (through 2027-28) and goaltender Frederik Andersen for another year. And forward Logan Stankoven, who thrived in the postseason after being the primary return from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal, has another season before becoming a restricted free agent.
Additionally, the Hurricanes are projected to have roughly $28.4 million cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, which is most among playoff teams and fifth overall.
The Hurricanes have fallen to the Panthers twice in three seasons in the Eastern final, this time in five games after ending a 15-game skid in that round dating to 2009. In theory, the Hurricanes have enough assets in money and draft picks – Carolina acquired two first-rounders and two third-rounders in the Rantanen/Stankoven deal – to boost the roster.
“You take a step back and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, there’s four teams playing left,’ and we’re feeling like crap because we lost,” Brind’Amour said. “This is where you want to be. This is the level of standard you want to have as an organization.”
Blue-line look
Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents. Burns, 40, routinely got top-pair work with Slavin, while the 33-year-old Orlov worked with Jalen Chatfield as second pair.
Carolina also returns Chatfield, offensive threat Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker (signed to a five-year deal last summer), while top prospect Alexander Nikishin drew in for four playoff games as his NHL debut and is projected to be among Carolina’s regulars next year.
UFA forwards
Carolina has unrestricted free agents among its regular forwards lines in Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. Both joined Carolina last summer on one-year deals.
Robinson posted career-highs of 14 goals and 18 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He also scored a critical goal in Game 4 of the second-round series against Washington, helping Carolina maintain control of that series from the fourth line.
Roslovic finished third on the team with 22 regular-season goals, though he was a healthy scratch for multiple playoff games.
Banged-up Jarvis
Jarvis is again dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. He opted against surgery last summer in favor of rehabbing and strengthening work, then said last week he quickly aggravated it in the regular season.
Jarvis – who led the team with 32 regular-season goals and 16 postseason points – plans to stick with rehab and strengthening work again instead of surgery.
“It’s not an organizational decision, it’s a personal decision,” Tulsky said. “It’s his medical care. And he’s going to do what’s best for him and the team. If he wants to rehab it and strengthen it and keep playing, he was very effective this year and I’m optimistic that’ll continue going forward, and that he’ll keep helping us compete for a championship.”
Flyers sign forward Cates
Philadelphia – The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Noah Cates to a four-year contract extension worth $16 million.
Flyers general manager Danny Briere announced the extension Tuesday. Cates will count $4 million annually against the salary cap.
The 26-year-old Cates scored 16 goals and had 37 points in 78 games this season. He was drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round in 2017 and has played 235 career NHL games. Cates has 40 career goals and 62 assists for 102 points.
The 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward made his NHL debut on April 29, 2022, in his home state of Minnesota. He scored his first NHL goal on April 5, 2022, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Stanley Cup final
Game 1: Wednesday @ Edmonton, 8
Game 2: Friday @ Edmonton, 8
Game 3: Monday, June 9 @ Florida, 8
Game 4: Thursday, June 12 @ Florida, 8
x-Game 5: Saturday, June 14 @ Edmonton, 8
x-Game 6: Tuesday, June 17 @ Florida, 8
x-Game 7: Friday, June 20 @ Edmonton, 8
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