Stanley Cup Final broadcast crew weighs in on Panthers, Oilers matchup
We hear from Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, Ray Ferraro and Sean McDonaugh of the NHL on ESPN crew
The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals are nearly upon us.
With just one more sleep until Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, the excitement is starting to peak as hockey fans across two nations prepare for what should be a great series.
Every game will be broadcast nationally on ABC as well as ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
This year’s Stanely Cup Final crew will include play-by-play voice Sean McDonaugh ice-level reporter Ray Ferraro, and analysts Mark Messier and P.K. Subban.
The NHL on ESPN crew caught up with a few members of the media this week to discuss the upcoming series and give their thoughts on the matchup.
Here is some of what they had to say:
Sean McDonaugh on the matchup:
“Two great environments. The story line of Edmonton trying to be the first Canadian-based team to win the Stanley Cup in 31 years. I think the coaches are very interesting stories. Paul Maurice, kind of a lifer who’s won a ton of games but never won the Stanley Cup, more wins than anybody without it, and the job he’s done in Florida. And the job that Kris Knoblauch has done, coming out of nowhere for many people. They’ve had the best record in the league since he was the coach.”
Ray Ferraro on what intrigues him most:
“For me, I’m really interested to see how physically Florida can play against a power play that looks like it’s almost an automatic. They score 37% of the time, so you’ve got to be pretty careful when you’re being physical that you’re not sending the Oilers’ big guns out there three and four and five times a night. That doesn’t seem like a good plan.”
Mark Messier highlights what each team has done well during the playoffs:
“It doesn’t surprise me the Panthers are there. It doesn’t surprise me the Oilers are there. Fascinating matchup for a lot of reasons. For me, starting with the Oilers, it’s hard to bet against the two best players in the game, or two best offensive players in the game right now, that are both just as hungry to win a Stanley Cup. Edmonton probably surrounded them with more depth than they’ve ever had. They got some size.
“And there’s special teams, which we always talk about every game going into a series. It’s going to come down to special teams. The Oilers have led the way in special teams both in power play and penalty killing. It’s a fascinating matchup from that perspective because, as we know, Florida likes to play a heavy game.
“One thing I was impressed about Florida in the last series is how disciplined they were. They stayed incredibly disciplined. There wasn’t a lot of after-whistle pushing and shoving. They really kind of focused in on not allowing the Rangers into the series by giving them unwarranted chances on the power play, which the Rangers lived on all year long.
“Of course, we all know what Edmonton can do if Florida gets caught taking too many minor penalties. So, from that perspective, I can see the Panthers being incredibly disciplined in this series, but just as hard as they’ve been, just as unrelenting in their pursuit on the forecheck. We know that going into this series, they’re going to try everything they can to put the pressure on Edmonton’s defense and keep the puck in Edmonton’s zone as long as they can.
“Now, the other flip side of that is that they’re also very aggressive in the neutral zone. If someone is out of position and they play that aggressive game in the neutral zone, it’s going to give Oilers some odd-man rushes, which we saw against the Rangers. We saw some breakaways early in the series, defense getting caught a little bit out of position. Forwards not marking their man.
“So that transition game through the neutral zone is going to be critical for the Florida not only to get on the forecheck, but that neutral zone, they are going to have to be airtight because that’s where the Oilers live, especially when McDavid and Draisaitl are on the ice. If they get opportunities with odd-man rushes and some room through the neutral zone, that could be a difference maker as well.”
P.K. Subban on how he expects the series to play out:
“I think when it comes to the matchup of Edmonton and Florida, I think that, like Mess had said, Florida was very aggressive in the neutral zone. I’m interested to see because Paul Maurice, you have to give him a lot of credit with his experience.
“He’s made adjustments every round. I’ve seen the Florida Panthers make tweaks on the fly in game by game. And there’s no panic with them. They’re very patient. The only times I’ve ever seen Paul Maurice kind of get uncomfortable, I’ve seen the team respond. We saw that in the Rangers series when their back was against the wall, and they responded.
“I think, like Mess had said, if they’re going to be aggressive in that neutral zone, Edmonton is going to get odd-man rushes with guys like Evander Kane and guys that have that sleepy, sneaky kind of offense, those guys can beat Bobrovsky, no matter how good he’s playing.
“I think that for Florida it’s going to be a key to control the middle of the ice once again and make sure that they’re making those adjustments.
“I think that’s going to be the story of it, is just Florida and how they play, how they contain Edmonton 5-on-5. But I really believe they’re going to do that. I don’t see it. As great as Connor McDavid is, it’s going to take magic for him to beat this team 5-on-5.
“I trust in Forsling, I trust in Barkov. I trust in those guys’ commitment to playing defense first. I think they’re going to make it really, really difficult on Edmonton.
“Also, the special teams, like you guys had said, the special teams are hugely, hugely key in the playoffs, and Florida’s been really disciplined. They’ve been disciplined throughout the playoff, and I think that’s a huge, huge factor is how disciplined they’ve been.
“I think that shows their growth as a team to play on the edge with that physicality, and I think everybody is on the same page. When Matthew Tkachuk says they’ve all bought in, you can see they’ve all bought in. No one’s taking stupid penalties. Everyone knows what their goal is.
“I think the Edmonton Oilers are going to have to play a perfect game to beat the Florida Panthers. I think their defense is going to be under pressure, but Edmonton has proven all the doubters wrong all season, and I think Coach Knoblauch, like you had said, Ray, when you were talking earlier, he’s done a phenomenal job since he’s come in. They’ve had the best record since he’s come in.
“I think it’s going to be a tremendous back-and-forth series. I think it’s going to be longer than people think. I think people are thinking it’s going to be shorter for Florida. It’s going six or seven games. The special teams and the middle of the ice are going to be the key.
“If Florida can control the middle of the ice 5-on-5, Edmonton is only going to have to rely on their power play, and we saw Florida shut it down. Florida takes away the middle of the ice everywhere — 5-on-5, power play, it doesn’t matter. I thought the way they killed against the Rangers demoralized them, demoralized them offensively, and I think they can do the same to the Edmonton Oilers.
“If McDavid isn’t getting any looks and Draisaitl, like we’ve seen during the season where their power play is a struggle sometimes, I think Florida can really frustrate them.”
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