Stanley Cup Final Preview – June 4, 2025 BOBROVSKY VS. SKINNER IN GAME 1 OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL

The Oilers will host Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1988 and are 4-4 in eight all-time Stanley Cup Final openers (2-1 at home), while Florida will seek its first-ever Game 1 win on the road in the Final (1-2 overall; 0-2 on road). The Panthers claimed the opener at home last year thanks to a 32-save shutout by Sergei Bobrovsky and game-winning goal from Carter Verhaeghe.

• Bobrovsky and Skinner were the only goaltenders to post a save percentage of .900 or better in the 2025 Conference Finals, with both entering their second straight head-to-head in the Final after either setting or tying a franchise record for shutouts in one postseason during the last round (both w/ 3).
• Bobrovsky can become the second goaltender in NHL history with multiple Game 1 shutouts in the Final – he would join Clint Benedict who did so in 1926 and 1928, which both were best-of-five series.
• Skinner is set to become the first Oilers netminder to open the Final on home ice since Grant Fuhr in 1988. Fuhr made 13 saves in a 2-1 win that year en route to an eventual sweep of the Bruins (in a series that included a suspended game due to a power outage at Boston Garden). Fuhr (2-0; also won in 1987) and Andy Moog (lost in 1983) are the only Oilers netminders to open a Final in Edmonton.
• Bobrovsky overcame adversity early on during the Panthers’ run of three straight trips to the Final and spoke about Skinner’s ability to rebound from an 0-3 start this postseason: “He’s a pro. He approaches it the right way. He’s a good goalie and I’m excited to play against him.”

“LET’S GET AFTER IT” WAS PARTING MESSAGE FROM McDAVID ON MEDIA DAY

With 143 career playoff points including 121 over 12 series since 2022, Oilers captain Connor McDavid enters his second Stanley Cup Final – “on a mission” according to general manager Stan Bowman – and with a chance to take the opener on home ice. McDavid, who has 11 points in seven career games during the Final, enters Game 1 with a chance to record four straight multi-point playoff games for the third time in his career, following seven and six-game runs in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Entering his sixth career Final and fifth in six years, Corey Perry brought his son, Griffin, along for the Media Day festivities. With every intention to play next season – a notion fully supported by his seven-year-old son who adamantly shook his head when the retirement question came up – Perry enters the series with a two-game goal streak. The only 40-year-olds with a goal streak of three-plus games in playoff history are Teemu Selanne (4 GP in 2011) and Ray Bourque (3 GP in 2001).

TKACHUK KNOWS ALBERTA, CROSS-BORDER RIVALRIES WELL

After six seasons on the opposing side of the “Battle of Alberta,” a seven-game Stanley Cup Final in which he tallied three points, as well as two contests at the forefront of the USA-Canada rivalry during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Matthew Tkachuk’s quest for another championship will once again have Canadian roots. Tkachuk, who has multiple points in three of his past four games and shared the Eastern Conference Final lead with seven points, is set to play his 89th career playoff game (29-48—77 in 88 GP) – the same number his father, Keith, played over his 18-season NHL career (28-28—56 in 89 GP).

• The focus during the Panthers’ media day was on how the experience of a third straight Final may help in their bid for a repeat – which Sergei Bobrovsky spoke with NHL.com about ahead of his 60th consecutive playoff start for Florida. Praise for head coach Paul Maurice and trade deadline acquisitions Brad Marchand and Seth Jones also was a common theme during the club’s availabilities, with Bill Zito discussing the character of Marchand and Aaron Ekblad sharing the excitement he felt when he got the news in March that he would be reunited with Jones – his teammate with Team North America in 2016.
• Ekblad and Jones have three goals apiece, tied with Nate Schmidt and Niko Mikkola for the team lead among defensemen – just the fifth time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that a club has had at least four blueliners each with three goals. Florida has a goal from seven different blueliners this postseason (tied for the most ever) and tops the NHL with 15 goals from defensemen in 2025 after Edmonton did so with 18 last year.