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The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers prepare to meet again in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 drops the puck on Wednesday evening, as the NHL has gifted the teams with an extended break after they finished their respective conference finals with five-game victories. While both teams have looked dominant in their first 12 victories, there's no telling how they'll perform in this final series. While the Oilers have some issues, the Panthers' organization might have some concerns about one major flaw.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are one of the most grueling events in all of sports. While hockey is always a physical game, the intensity level increases after Game 82 of the regular season, and players are often beaten and bruised for two months straight. The Oilers battled injury issues all season, but their health improved as they entered the postseason. While they suffered some key injuries to players like Zach Hyman and Calvin Pickard, they've received boosts from Mattias Ekholm and Evander Kane.
Florida, on the other hand, has been battling injuries all postseason. None of it has seemed to slow them down, as other than a seven-game scare against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers have barely broken a sweat through the first three rounds. If the extended break is going to help any team, it's the Panthers, but that doesn't mean the injuries won't resurface at some point in this series.
The Panthers hope to conclude this series quickly to mitigate those concerns, but if the series drags on to Game 7, the odds will likely shift further in the Oilers' favor.
Key Panthers players are less than 100%
The Panthers thought that disaster struck in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final when Sam Reinhart took a dangerous-looking hit from Sebastian Aho. The Carolina Hurricanes' forward stuck out his hip and took a piece out of Reinhart's knee, which, in the slow-motion replay, looked like it could have done some severe damage. Reinhart missed the next two games, but he made a surprising return in Game 5 with the Panthers up 3-1.
The return makes it clear that Reinhart recovered enough for the team not to worry about his condition. If he had returned for a must-win game, it would've raised more questions, but Florida had some wiggle room to keep him out and give him some extra time to recover. Everyone is playing hurt in the playoffs, but the status of Reinhart's leg could be concerning as the series progresses.
Another star player who hasn't looked like himself in these playoffs is Matthew Tkachuk. No one is happier to see this extended break than Tkachuk, as a week of rest and recovery on the South Florida beaches could be just what the doctor ordered. Tkachuk missed over two months after suffering an injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but didn't look like himself once he returned for Game 1 of the first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Tkachuk has been a step slower and hasn't been making as much of an impact on games to the naked eye. When you look at the stats sheet, he could eclipse his points total from last season with a long final series and a point-per-game pace. The Oilers will be the Panthers' most challenging test of this postseason, and they will need a little bit more out of Tkachuk to get the job done.
Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola's injuries are concerning
A big reason why Tkachuk's injury issues haven't been as much of a problem is the depth in the Panthers' lineup. The third line of Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, and Brad Marchand has been Florida's most consistent line and possibly the most valuable in the entire postseason. There is an argument that the Panthers wouldn't have gotten past the Maple Leafs if Marchand hadn't turned back the clock and his line hadn't been as significant a factor.
Luostarinen is the quiet straw that stirs the drink on that line. He left Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final after just over three minutes of ice time, and his status for Game 1 of the final is up in the air. Luostarinen practiced on Monday morning, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will be ready to play.
Another player who isn't operating at 100% is Niko Mikkola. He crashed heavily into the boards in Game 4, and it looked like it could be a serious injury to his upper body. After some deliberation, he played in Game 5 and gave the team a solid 20 minutes.
Likely, Mikkola is still feeling the effects of that collision. Many players can battle through upper body injuries, such as a shoulder injury, but it's the type that could easily recur with the slightest contact. If the Oilers start playing a heavy brand of hockey on Mikkola, it could be trouble for the rising star.
The question for the Panthers is whether three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances will catch up to them. The experience is essential, but their top players played a lot of hockey in that span, and it seems to be taking its toll.
