On October 10, the NHL season began with all 32 teams carrying a 0-0-0 record. Now, just 2 teams remain. From the East, the Florida Panthers, runners-up last season and the President’s Trophy winner the year before. They win as a team, with Sasha Barkov excelling over all 200 feet of the ice, Matthew Tkachuk both scoring goals and getting under the skin of the opponents, and our old friend Sergei Bobrovsky capable of playing up to his former Vezina-winning form. Oh, and Sam Reinhart having an all-time great contract year.
On the other side, the champions of the West are the Edmonton Oilers. They don’t have Florida’s depth, but they do have the best player in the world in Connor McDavid. If that weren’t enough, there’s a second Hart Trophy winner in Leon Draisaitl. It was only a matter of time before a team with two stars of that caliber figured it out.
Also at stake is a 30 year Cup drought for Canada’s franchises. The last to win it was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. All of Canada will be cheering on the Oilers! Well, except Canucks fans. And probably Alberta arch-rival Flames fans, though cheering for former players Tkachuk and Sam Bennett may sting.
Who do you think will win? Who do you want to win?
Game 1: Oilers at Panthers — June 8, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
Game 2: Oilers at Panthers — June 10, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
Game 3: Panthers at Oilers — June 13, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
Game 4: Panthers at Oilers — June 15, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
(If necessary) Game 5: Oilers at Panthers — June 18, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
(If necessary) Game 6: Panthers at Oilers — June 21, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
(If necessary) Game 7: Oilers at Panthers — June 24, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
Bracket Challenge
And then there were two:
Maria327 leads with 229 points and has the Panthers as her champ. If they win, she wins.
Ac10c is in third place with 188, but picked the Oilers. They win if Edmonton does.
Calder Cupdate
After falling down 3-0 in the series, the Cleveland Monsters avoided elimination last night with a 3-2 win at home. They have one more game in Cleveland on Saturday night to try to extend the series. You can comment on that series in its open thread here.