The Florida Panthers are set to face off against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. This series will undoubtedly has the potential to be a great one, as both teams have an immense amount of talent.

During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk made it clear that he knows that Florida has a big challenge in front of them, facing off against Connor McDavid and the Oilers again.

"I'm pretty familiar with them going back to my time in Calgary and seeing a lot of those players grow. Playing against McDavid a ton," Tkachuk said. "That's pretty much, you know, when you're playing against the best player in the world, he's always going to give you a challenge each and every night, but it's not just him. They're a deep team. They play really hard, both ends of the ice. Their goalie is playing incredible right now."

Tkachuk then discussed how the Oilers' defense is sneaky good and always difficult to go up against.

"I think what's underrated with them is their defense," Tkachuk said. "They make it hard to get to the net. They block a lot of shots. All the stuff that you gotta do to have a successful team."

Tkachuk then spoke about the Oilers' ridiculous run since their tough start to the post-season. 

"They started the playoffs down two games to LA, and since then, they've been 12-2. 12-2 is incredible in the regular-season. That's almost unheard of in the playoffs. So they're playing the best hockey of the year so far for them, and it's gonna be a battle for us. We're going up there to Edmonton to start... We got our hands full. We're gonna take that underdog mindset, mentality, and go up there and try to do what we did last year."

Clearly, Tkachuk has a great deal of respect for the Oilers and their awesome run so far this post-season. However, Tkachuk and the Panthers have also been excellent this playoffs, so it is going to be incredible to see these two clubs go up against in the Stanley Cup Final yet again. 

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers will be played on June 4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Recent Panthers News 

If Stanley Cup Final rematch between Panthers, Oilers comes close to last year, we're in for a treat

Paul Maurice Gives Panthers Massive Compliment Ahead Of Final

Ticket prices for Stanley Cup Final start high, keep going up

The Hockey Show: Talking Stanley Cup Final rematch, Florida Panthers roots with Bob Wischusen

Examining how rare Stanley Cup Final rematches are as Panthers, Oilers prepare for sequel series

Photo Credit:  © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images