The Stanley Cup Final is set as the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers will battle it out for all the marbles. The Oilers just took down the Dallas Stars in the West Final, and the Panthers took down the New York Rangers in the East Final. The Rangers were the best team in hockey this season as they led the league with 114 points. The Panthers weren't too far behind as they had 110 points, but all that matters now is that they are going to the Stanley Cup Final.
Losing in the East Final was incredibly painful for the Rangers. Anytime you come into the postseason with the most points, the expectation is to be the last team standing. Unfortunately for New York, they couldn't get it done. Vincent Trocheck talked about the feeling of the loss after they were eliminated.
“It was a pretty empty feeling,” Vincent Trocheck said after the game six loss, according to a tweet from SNY Rangers. “(To) go as far as we did, put in as much effort, invest so much into the season, make it to the Eastern Conference Final … and to come up short is just, it sucks. It's not fun.”
After the elimination loss, Trocheck shared a moment with Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. Trocheck noted that he thought Shesterkin played better than anybody on the Rangers during the playoffs, and he felt bad that he had to go out like that.
“He was our best player by a significant margin in the playoffs, and I thought if there was one guy that I thought needed to hear that after the loss to kind of keep his spirits up,” Trocheck said. “I just told him he was our best player and he deserved better.”
Igor Shesterkin was asked about the Rangers and if we was thinking about a long-term contract. Unfortunately, Shesterkin wasn't ready to answer the question.
“I'm sorry, I don't speak English,” Shesterkin responded with a smirk.
The Stanley Cup Final is set
Unfortunately for the Rangers, they didn't accomplish the goal that they set out to achieve, and now there are just two teams left in the NHL playoffs. The Oilers and the Panthers are still standing, and they will start their series on June 8th.
So far, the Oilers have had a different outcome in all three of their postseason series. They started things out with a 4-1 series victory against the Los Angeles Kings. After that, they had a tight one with the Vancouver Canucks that went all the way to game seven, and the Oilers were able to survive to set up their matchup in the West Final with the Stars. It took them six games to take down Dallas.
The Panthers, on the other hand, have not had to face elimination yet. They won their first series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, and then they took down the Boston Bruins and the Rangers in six games. They are playing their best hockey right now, and they are one series win away from the ultimate prize.
Game one of the Stanley Cup Final will take place on Saturday night and the Panthers will be at home. The game will get started at 8:00 ET, and Florida is currently the betting favorite.
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