June 14, 2025
Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane will start Saturday's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers on the fourth line. He is being demoted in the lineup following a couple of quiet outings and bad penalties. The power forward has received three minor penalties in the first period over the past two games, amassing a minus-three rating. Kane has previously been ever-present on the second line during the playoffs, posting six goals and 12 points in 19 outings. On Saturday, Leon Draisaitl will be joined on the second line by Vasily Podkolzin and Corey Perry.
--Taavi PailkSource: Tony Brar
June 14, 2025
Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen will be a healthy scratch for Saturday's Game 5 against the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a decent postseason, registering six points (three goals, three assists) in 11 outings, but Viktor Arvidsson will take Kapanen's spot in the lineup on Saturday. Arvidsson was scratched for Game 4 of the series. He has produced two goals and seven points in 14 outings. While Kapanen skated on the second line for the Oilers, Arvidsson will rejoin the action as a fourth-liner. Corey Perry will return to the top six for Saturday's game.
--Taavi PailkSource: Tony Brar
June 14, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard will start Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Oilers are making another switch in the crease after Stuart Skinner was torched in the first period of Game 4. Skinner has made 12 consecutive starts. However, Edmonton has also received outstanding goaltending from Pickard during the postseason and will give him another shot as a starter on Saturday night. Pickard is 7-0 in the playoffs, having allowed 2.69 goals with a .896 save percentage. Only two goalies in franchise history -- Grant Fuhr and Bill Ranford -- have remained undefeated for more games during a postseason campaign.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
June 13, 2025
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been named the 2024-25 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner. He became the fifth goalie to win both the Hart and Vezina in the same season, the first since Carey Price in 2014-15. Hellebuyck was nearly a unanimous winner of the Vezina, receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes from the NHL's general managers. This marks the third time he has been recognized as the best goaltender of the year in the league. In the MVP voting for the Hart Trophy, Hellebuyck collected 1,346 votes, edging out Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (1,209) and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (973). Additionally, Hellebuyck earned the William M. Jennings Trophy this season for contributing to the Jets allowing a league-low 191 goals during the regular season. Hellebuyck has been among the league's top goalies for quite some time and should have many quality years left in him, as he only turned 32 last month.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
June 13, 2025
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov opened his 2025 Stanley Cup Finals scoring account with two assists in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Barkov's helpers came in the first period on power-play goals by Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers captain has had a limited role in the attack, as he has been tasked with slowing down Connor McDavid in the Finals. However, Barkov has enjoyed a solid postseason overall, scoring six goals and 19 points in 21 outings. He is also averaging a block per game and has dished out 49 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 13, 2025
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart recorded a second consecutive multi-point game in the Stanley Cup Finals in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. He picked up a pair of first-period assists, including one on the power play, and sent the game into overtime with only 20 seconds left in regulation. After going scoreless in seven of nine games, Reinhart has broken his offensive slump in style, accumulating five points (two goals, three assists) over the past two contests. While Reinhart has slowed down during the latter half of the postseason, he is still nearly averaging a point per game, with six goals and 12 assists across 19 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 13, 2025
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk tallied two goals and an assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He scored both goals on the power play in the first period, leading the charge as Florida jumped to a 3-0 lead. Tkachuk, who had managed only two points over the first three matchups against Edmonton, capped off his three-point night with an assist in the third period when Sam Reinhart tied the game with only 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Florida has had nine players score 15 or more points this postseason, with Tkachuk leading the group with 21 points, along with Sam Bennett. He has recorded seven goals and a team-high 14 assists.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 13, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard maintained his perfect record this postseason in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win against the Florida Panthers, improving to 7-0 with a relief effort. The Panthers chased Stuart Skinner in the first period, putting three pucks past him with 17 shots. Edmonton was in big trouble but managed to produce an impressive comeback victory, with Pickard allowing only one goal on 23 shots. The 33-year-old became the sixth netminder in history to win a Stanley Cup Finals game in relief. He is the fourth Oilers goaltender to win seven straight decisions in a postseason. It seems likely that Pickard will have the opportunity to extend his streak as a starter in Game 5.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 13, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm posted two assists in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers. He played a crucial role in an incredible Oilers comeback, as the team entered the first intermission down 3-0. Darnell Nurse scored off Ekholm's feed in the second period, and his second assist came in overtime when Leon Draisaitl ended the game. Ekholm was late to the party, not making his postseason debut until Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, but he has not needed much time to pick up form. The Swedish blue-liner has tallied five points (one goal, four assists) in as many games, firing off nine attempts on goal and blocking 11 shots.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 13, 2025
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal and had two assists as his squad tied the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers with a 5-4 overtime victory on Thursday night. The German superstar buried his fourth overtime goal of the postseason 11:18 into the extra frame. Draisaitl became the first player in NHL history to score as many as four overtime goals during a single playoff run. It was Draisaitl's 11th multi-point performance of the postseason, giving him 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) through 20 games. Wayne Gretzky was previously the only player to have multiple postseasons in the NHL with at least 10 goals and 20 assists.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 12, 2025
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar has been named the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the third time in his career. The award is given annually in the NHL to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Kopitar recorded 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 81 appearances this season while registering only four penalty minutes. The Kings captain became the 10th player in history to win the Lady Byng Trophy at least three times, having also received the award in 2015-16 and 2022-23. Kopitar has also won the Selke Trophy twice as the best defensive forward (2015-16, 2017-18) and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award (2021-22).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
June 12, 2025
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will aim to stretch his winning streak in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers to three games on Thursday night. The veteran shot-stopper suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 1 of the series but has since finished on the winning side in back-to-back games. Bobrovsky was outstanding in Monday's 6-1 Game 3 victory, making 32 saves. Overall, he has already recorded 116 saves against the Oilers, which is tied for the second-most saves through three games of a Stanley Cup Finals series. Bobrovsky's performance has been a key factor in Florida's success in the postseason, as he boasts a 14-6 record while allowing an average of 2.16 goals with a .916 save percentage and three shutouts.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
June 12, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman John Klingberg will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's Game 4 against the Florida Panthers. The Swedish veteran had a tough time in Monday's Game 3, finishing with a minus-three rating in a 6-1 loss, prompting Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch to replace him with Troy Stecher for Thursday's game. Stecher was a regular in the lineup early in the postseason but has not played since Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars. He has gone scoreless in six outings, while recording six shots, seven blocks, and six hits. The 31-year-old is expected to join Darnell Nurse on the second defensive pairing.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
June 12, 2025
Edmonton Oilers winger Viktor Arvidsson will come out of the lineup as a healthy scratch for Game 4 against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday. Arvidsson has made five consecutive appearances and recently enjoyed a three-game point streak, but the Oilers have decided to switch things up after suffering a 6-1 spanking in Game 3 on Monday. Jeff Skinner will take Arvidsson's spot in the lineup, joining Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic on the third line. The 33-year-old has been in the lineup for only two games this postseason, but Skinner has made a positive impact in both games, scoring once and recording one assist.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
June 12, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will start Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Edmonton's starter for the night was uncertain after Skinner was pulled in Game 3, during which he allowed five goals on 23 shots. However, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has decided to keep faith in Skinner on Thursday night. Two consecutive losses in the Finals have dropped Skinner's postseason record to 7-6. He has registered a 2.84 goals-against average, a .894 save percentage, and three shutouts. Edmonton desperately needs a strong performance from Skinner on Thursday, as the team trails the series 2-1.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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