EDMONTON – Familiarity breeds contempt, and there's no concern that this Stanley Cup final will be devoid of passion.
As the combatants of last year's ultimate series, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers know each other well. The only question that remains is whether Edmonton can flip the script and wrest the Cup away from the champion Panthers this time.
And while superstars, such as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – not to mention goalie Stuart Skinner – will have a big say on what happens in the series, the Oilers are also prepared for the physicality that has made Florida such a beast in the post-season the past few years.
The tough part, however, is you can't go overboard. On top of being a big, heavy team, the Panthers also famously employ some of the best agitators in the league, adding Brad Marchand to a squad that already had Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
"You have to stay away from the stuff after whistles," said Edmonton's Trent Frederic. "I like our power play a lot, but we can't fall into their trap. They're pretty good at making sure you're pressured."
Frederic could be a key addition for the Oilers in this series. Coming over from Boston, he's exactly the type of player who can counteract Florida's heaviness. A healthy Evander Kane helps, too, as he was not a factor in last year's final, while big, tough defenseman Darnell Nurse was also hampered by injury in that 2024 series. Losing Zach Hyman in the conference final was a tough blow for the Oilers, but even with him out, Edmonton seems to be better positioned to play against the Panthers.
"The line is wherever the penalties are," Nurse said. "You don't want to put your team down. These are two teams with a lot of offensive firepower, so we don't want to be giving up power plays or giving their best players the opportunity to touch the puck."
From the Panthers' perspective, they're just playing their game – and if you don't like it, well, tough.
"We don't like giving space on the ice, and that leads to a lot of confrontation and collisions," said Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad. "We're not necessarily being bullies – we're just trying to play as hard as possible."
Actual fights have been rare in these playoffs, though Frederic did spar with Nic Hague of Vegas in the second round. The reasoning is pretty simple.
"I feel like in the playoffs, so much is at stake – you don't want to sit for five minutes," Frederic said. "And there's a chance of getting an extra penalty for starting the fight, so you have to be careful."
Will there be any fights in the final? Hard to say. Will there be facewashes, headlocks, big hits and bad blood? Oh, you better believe it. And the team that deploys its aggression most effectively may just end up with the trophy at the end.
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