The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals are set, and we'll have our first rematch since 2008 and 2009. The Edmonton Oilers will face the Florida Panthers for the second year in a row after losing in seven games last June. Both teams won in five games in the conference finals, with the Oilers knocking off the Dallas Stars, while the Cats took down the Carolina Hurricanes.

Game 1 takes place next Wednesday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Heading into the series, there's no clear favorite.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel:

Oilers -106

Panthers -114

The Oilers, meanwhile, are a -122 favorite for Game 1 on home ice. Connor McDavid, who leads his squad with 26 points in these playoffs, is the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite at +110 odds. Sergei Bobrovsky (+250), Aleksander Barkov (+430), Leon Draisaitl (+850), and Matthew Tkachuk (+2300) round out the top five behind McDavid.

Article Continues Below
More NHL News
San Jose Sharks former player Joe Thornton waves to the crowd following a ceremony honoring him and retiring his number 19 jersey before a game between the San Jose Sharks and the Buffalo Sabres at SAP Center.
Joe Thornton in disbelief after getting Hockey Hall of Fame inductionMichael Whitaker ·
Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the first period at Xcel Energy Center.
Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith headline 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame classChristopher Hennessy ·
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) before game one of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.
NHL rumors: Kings among ‘7 or 8’ teams interested in top goalie in free agencyBenjamin Adducchio ·
New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) skates against the Seattle Kraken during the first period at Madison Square Garden.
2 best trade destinations for Rangers’ Mika ZibanejadTristin McKinstry ·
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) celebrates his 200th career NHL goal with the Penguins bench against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at PPG Paints Arena.
2 best trade destinations for Penguins’ Erik KarlssonTristin McKinstry ·
Ducks goalie John Gibson with Oilers, Flyers, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets logos
4 best trade destinations for Ducks’ John GibsonBen Shelley ·

This series should be absolutely thrilling, as it was last season. The Oilers came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Panthers to force a Game 7 and just narrowly fell short. We have a pair of deep, experienced teams going to battle. Florida is building a modern-day dynasty, while Edmonton is looking to do the same.

The Cats won the 2024-25 season series 2-0, but both meetings were entertaining, ending in 6-5 and 4-3 scorelines. Leon Draisaitl knows how difficult a task this will be, but he expressed that the Oilers are looking forward to the chance at revenge:

“We know what they’re about. We played them seven times,” Draisaitl said Thursday after beating the Stars, via NHL.com. “They’re a good team. We’re a really good team as well. Obviously, it’s nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we’re a long way from that. We’ll enjoy this tonight and move on and get ready.”

This is the third season in a row the Panthers have made the Stanley Cup Finals. Buckle in, it will be a ride.