The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are getting ready to go at it in one of the most highly anticipated matchups in the history of the Stanley Cup Final. The rematch of last year's epic seven-game series, won by the Panthers, will draw the eyes of hockey fans and sports fans everywhere.

Both the Oilers and the Panthers took care of their conference finals series, against the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, in five games, so they have both had plenty of time off leading up to Wednesday night's Game 1. The anticipation is building for both teams as they get ready to do battle once again.

On Monday, Florida star Aleksander Barkov spoke out ahead of the championship series, via Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com.

“Ready to go, for sure,” Barkov said, per Benjamin. “We’ve been waiting for a little bit here. Obviously, it was nice to get a couple of days off, stay in Florida for a little bit, not to think about anything, but now it starts to feel like, alright, let’s get it going.”

Article Continues Below
More Florida Panthers News
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand (63) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game seven of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena
NHL rumors: Brad Marchand draws $8 million projection amid Panthers’ playoff runQuinn Allen ·
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) warms up against the Toronto Maple Leafs before game four of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers star Aleksander Barkov’s reaction to surprise before Stanley Cup FinalTroy Finnegan ·
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour gestures on the bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 4-1.
Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour rebukes Paul Maurice’s new traditionTroy Finnegan ·
Nate Schmidt with question marks around him. Florida Panthers, NHL Free Agency, Nate Schmidt
3 best Nate Schmidt destinations in 2025 NHL free agencyBryan Logan ·
panthers third line x-factor
Florida Panthers X-factor that will determine 2025 Stanley Cup FinalNate Duffett ·
panthers oilers stanley cup final
Florida Panthers fatal flaw that will doom them in 2025 Stanley Cup FinalNate Duffett ·

Both teams will be looking for more uneven performance than they had in the final last season. The Oilers really struggled to get anything going at the start of last year's Stanley Cup Final, dropping the first three games to Florida. However, the Panthers then had a big dip as Edmonton came back to force a Game 7.

Of course, the Panthers recovered to win that Game 7 and lift the Stanley Cup, and now the Oilers will be looking for revenge. Neither team dominated in the regular season, and neither even had home-ice advantage in any of the three rounds in these playoffs. However, they are both playing their best hockey at the right time and will be very difficult to beat.

Barkov is arguably the Panthers' biggest star, and Paul Maurice and company will need him to be close to his best. He may not have the same star power as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but he is more than capable of leading Florida to another victory.