Only four wins stand in the way for a team to be crowned the 2024 Stanley Cup champion, and the fun starts Saturday night.
It’s been a long and grueling NHL postseason like it is every year. After the field was cut in half for the playoffs, the season is down to just two teams remaining — the Panthers out of the Eastern Conference and the Oilers from the Western Conference.
Florida is back in familiar territory. Matthew Tkachuk and Co. reached the final series in 2023, but the quest for the Panthers’ first-ever Stanley Cup fell short when the Golden Knights knocked them off in five games. Now, the team is back again this season, with the same core group put in place.
Led by Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida knocked off Tampa Bay, Boston and New York en route to the franchise’s third Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Panthers are regarded as the best all-around team in hockey, with depth at forward and on defense, along with a stellar goalie in net in Bobrovsky.
MORE: Watch Oilers vs. Panthers Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Fubo (free trial)
On the other side is the best hockey player on the planet. For the first time since 2006 and the first time in the Connor McDavid era, the Oilers are playing for a Stanley Cup. McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Co. finally got over the Western Conference hump, taking out Los Angeles, Vancouver and Dallas to emerge out of the West.
Unlike in years past, the Oilers aren’t solely built to win high-scoring affairs. While Edmonton boasts a lethal power play, its defense and goaltending have drastically improved from previous editions of the team. A Stanley Cup has not been brought back to Edmonton since 1990 — is this finally the year?
The action begins with Game 1 in Florida tonight. The Sporting News is providing all of the updates and highlights from Panthers vs. Oilers Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
STANLEY CUP FINAL: TSN PREDICTIONS | AI PROJECTIONS
Panthers vs. Oilers score
123OTFOilers00––Panthers11––
Panthers vs. Oilers updates, highlights from Game 1 of 2024 Stanley Cup Final
(All times Eastern)
Second period
9:47 p.m.: Bobrovsky is unstoppable right now. He turns aside a McDavid shot and rebound, a Bouchard one-timer and a couple more power play chances for the Oilers. The Panthers are playing with fire right now, but so far, the Oilers have no answer for Bobrovsky. It’s back to even strength with less than seven minutes to go.
Edmonton had a bunch of great chances on the power play but Sergei Bobrovsky was once again terrific#TimeToHunt | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/BT4bbcdITg
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 9, 2024
9:44 p.m.: The Oilers are heading to their third power play of the night, as Sam Bennett is called for interference on Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton is 0 for 2 so far tonight, but have generated multiple chances on the man advantage.
9:42 p.m.: The play is confirmed to be no goal. Janmark and Brown are off to the box for roughing for Edmonton, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Stenlund for Florida. It remains 5 on 5 with 9:36 left in the second.
9:40 p.m.: We’ve got our first major scrum in the Stanley Cup Final. Mattias Janmark gets a third breakaway for the Oilers, but his attempt to stuff it by Bobrovsky is denied. Connor Brown comes in and jams at Bobrovsky, knocking him and the puck into the net, but the play is waived off. Florida isn’t happy about Brown jabbing at its goalie and go after him, resulting in a brief melee.
BIG TIME SAVE FROM BOB AND A SCRUM FOLLOWS 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Ky0RH9mCMk
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 9, 2024
9:38 p.m.: How Kris Knoblauch uses Ceci and Nurse on the Oilers’ blue line is something to watch. He broke the pair up last series when the two struggled defensively. They have been on the ice for both of the Panthers goals against and are getting hemmed into their own zone.
9:29 p.m.: Bobrovsky continues to be stellar in net for the Panthers. The Oilers have eight scoring chances so far compared to the Panthers’ three, but Edmonton has yet to get one by the Florida goaltender.
Bobrovsky is playing OUT OF HIS MIND right now 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/z0cXr7Px4D
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) June 9, 2024
Panthers 2, Oilers 0
9:24 p.m.: GOAL! The forecheck for the Panthers goes to work and it results in a goal. Sam Bennett beats the Oilers on his own dump-in, finds Evan Rodrigues in the slot and he roofs it over Skinner for the 2-0 lead just 2:16 into the second. The struggles from Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse continue, as the pair are on the ice for another goal against for Edmonton.
SAM BENNETT WITH THE DUMP, CHASE, AND APPLE 🍎💪 pic.twitter.com/Wvj6QqAk0R
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2024
9:22 p.m.: The second period is a go from Amerant Bank Arena. The Oilers have 1:51 of power play left.
End of the first period: Panthers 1, Oilers 0
9:03 p.m.: After 20 minutes, it’s 1-0 Panthers thanks to the Verhaeghe goal and the early brilliance of Bobrovsky in net. His two breakaway stops kept the Oilers off the board, who outshot the Panthers 14-4 and were the better team in the period. Edmonton will have 1:52 of power play time to start the second period.
9:02 p.m.: Verhaeghe gets stick into the face of Evan Bouchard and is called for high-sticking with 8.8 seconds left in the period. That was a careless play by Verhaeghe on the forecheck. The Oilers get their second PP chance of the night.
8:59 p.m.: For as much pressure as the Florida offense is applying, the Edmonton defense is doing an excellent job of keeping the Panthers to the outside, limiting shots on goal in the process. There’s less than a minute left, and Florida just got its fourth shot on goal.
8:56 p.m.: The Panthers fight off the Oilers power play for the first time, as Forsling exits the box. It wasn’t without a couple of solid chances for Edmonton. Florida has now killed 34 of the last 35 power plays against.
8:54 p.m.: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sneaks in behind the Florida defense and Ekholm hits him for a breakaway. He tries a similar move to Henrique, going to his backhand, but the attempt is denied again by Bobrovsky. The Panthers goaltender has been stellar so far.
Another big breakaway save by Bobrovsky, this time stopping Nugent-Hopkins#TimeToHunt | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rAxCwI9c8c
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 9, 2024
8:51 p.m.: McDavid uses his legs to draw a tripping penalty on Gustav Forsling, giving the Oilers its first power play. Edmonton has come through on 37% of its power plays so far, and get its first chance of the Stanley Cup Final with 5:07 left in the first.
8:50 p.m.: Adam Henrique gets a breakaway chance for the Oilers thanks to an excellent touch pass by Mattias Janmark, but his backhand attempt is stopped by the toe of Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky shuts down Henrique’s breakaway try#TimeToHunt | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/WrJOazhNtK
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 9, 2024
8:49 p.m.: The Oilers are getting sloppy in their own zone. There have been about three or four errant passes over the last three minutes in their defensive zone that have led to turnovers at their own blue line. The last thing you want against this Panthers forecheck is tired defensemen.
8:45 p.m.: A loose puck finds Leon Draisaitl wide open in front of the Florida net, but his backend is denied by Bobrovsky’s pad.
8:42 p.m.: There was a lot of sustained offensive zone time during that power play by the Panthers, but Florida can’t solve the Edmonton penalty kill. Back to full strength.
Stuart Skinner makes a big stop on Carter Verhaeghe’s power play chance in tight#LetsGoOilers | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/llRlGIoND4
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 9, 2024
8:37 p.m.: Mattias Ekholm takes the legs out from Kyle Okposo, and the Panthers will get a power play 7:33 into the first. Ekholm wasn’t happy with the tripping call, but nonetheless, the Oilers now play down a man for two minutes. The Edmonton PK has been excellent, killing off 93% of their opponents’ power plays in the playoffs.
8:35 p.m.: Connor McDavid gets his first scoring chance of the game, as the Oilers captain zooms in from the outside and powers his way to the net. However, his five-hole attempt is turned aside by Bobrovsky.
Panthers 1, Oilers 0
8:31 p.m.: GOAL! Carter Verhaeghe is a playoff performer. Florida goes down on an odd man rush and Aleksander Barkov flips a backhand to an open Verhaeghe cutting to the net for the goal. That’s Verhaeghe’s 10th goal in these playoffs, which pulls him into a tie for second out of all skaters. Just under four minutes into Game 1, and it’s 1-0 Panthers.
CARTER VERHAEGHE GETS THE FIRST GOAL OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k0B2DAwIe2
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2024
8:29 p.m.: There’s plenty of action in the first three and a half minutes, as the two sides go 3:24 without a whistle. Both the Panthers and Oilers had spells of sustained offensive zone time. Florida, as expected, is off to a physical start.
8:26 p.m.: The puck is down, and the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is underway.
Pregame
8:10 p.m.: Puck drop is coming up shortly at Amerant Bank Arena for Game 1.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2024
7:55 p.m.: Here’s how the lineups look for both sides. No changes for Florida, but Warren Foegele and Philip Broberg enter for Edmonton.
Oilers in warmup:
Nugent-Hopkins-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-Holloway
Foegele-McLeod-Perry
Janmark-Henrique-Brown
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Broberg
Skinner
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 8, 2024
#FlaPanthers in warmups:
Verhaeghe – Barkov – Reinhart
Tkachuk – Bennett – Rodrigues
Luostarinen – Lundell – Tarasenko
Lorentz – Stenlund – Okposo
Forsling – Ekblad
Mikkola – Montour
OEL – Kulikov
Bobrovsky
Stolarz
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) June 8, 2024
7:43 p.m.: Connor McDavid is riding a four-game point streak heading into the Stanley Cup Final, with two goals and six assists in that span. Evan Bouchard also is on a four-game point streak for the Oilers, with a goal and five assists in those four contests.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 8, 2024
7:32 p.m.: As expected, it’s Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Stuart Skinner in net. Bobrovsky has played in all 17 games for the Panthers this postseason, sporting a 2.20 GAA and .911 SV% with a shutout and a 12-5 record. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner has seen action in 16 of Edmonton’s 18 postseason contests. He was briefly benched during the second round against the Canucks, but bounced back and has been strong since. Skinner owns a 2.50 GAA and .897 SV%.
7:13 p.m.: When you look at the two benches for these teams, it’s two head coaches on opposite ends of the coaching spectrum. On the Florida side, there is Paul Maurice, who is in his third career Stanley Cup Final. He comes with 130 playoff games of experience. For Edmonton, Kris Knoblauch has 77 games in the NHL, including regular season and playoffs.
6:53 p.m.: As we know, the Panthers are in familiar territory. Florida played in the Stanley Cup Final last year, losing to Vegas in the 2023 championship series. It’s the same core group in place, with some tinkering to the complimentary pieces. Edmonton hasn’t played in a Stanley Cup Final since 2006, as this marks the first appearance in the McDavid era.
6:30 p.m.: The Panthers have performed well at Amerant Bank Arena, posting a 6-3 home record heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, the Oilers boast the same 6-3 record on the road and have not lost back-to-back games as the away team yet.
6:10 p.m.: Both teams have followed the same pattern in Game 1s. The Panthers and Oilers each won Game 1 in the first round, lost the opener in Game 2, and kicked off the conference finals with a win. In the Stanley Cup Final history, teams that win Game 1 have a 75.6% series winning percentage.
What channel is Panthers vs. Oilers on today?
TV channel: ABC (U.S.) | Sportsnet, CBC, TVA (Canada)Live stream: Fubo | NordVPN
Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers will air live in the U.S. on ABC.
In Canada, fans can catch the game on Sportsnet, CBC or TVA.
Fans hoping to stream the action in the U.S. can do so on Fubo, which offers a free trial. That way, you can try before you buy.
If Game 1 of Panthers vs. Oilers is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device, anywhere in the world.
Panthers vs. Oilers Game 1 start time
Date: Saturday, June 8Time: 8 p.m. ET
Game 1 of Panthers vs. Oilers will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8.
The game will be played at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Panthers vs. Oilers series schedule
DateGame/ResultTime (ET)TV channelSat., June 8Game 1: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, FuboMon., June 10Game 2: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, FuboThurs., June 13Game 3: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, FuboSat., June 15Game 4: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, FuboTues., June 18*Game 5: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, FuboFri., June 21*Game 6: Panthers at Oilers8 p.m.ABC, FuboMon., June 24*Game 7: Oilers at Panthers8 p.m.ABC, Fubo
*if necessary
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