Your Guide to the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final
by James Kevin Stott
Update:
- How the Panthers and Oilers Got Here
- Players to Watch: Florida Panthers
- Matthew Tkachuk, Left Wing
- Aleksander Barkov, Center
- Sergei Bobrovsky, Goalie
- Players to Watch: Edmonton Oilers
- Leon Draisaitl, Center
- Connor McDavid, Center
- Stuart Skinner, Goalie
- When Does the Stanley Cup Final Start?
- Where to Watch the Stanley Cup Final
- 2024 Stanley Cup Final Schedule
- Where to Listen to the Stanley Cup Final
- Where to Get Stanley Cup Final Tickets
Thumbnail: StanleyCup by Uncleweed (CC-BY-SA-2.0)
It has been 31 long years since a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup, but the Edmonton Oilers have battled their way to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, where they will face the Florida Panthers in a best-of-7 series to see who the new NHL champs will be.
How the Panthers and Oilers Got Here
The Panthers made it to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by finishing with the best record in the Atlantic Division (52-24-6, 110 points) and the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference behind the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the New York Rangers (55-23-4, 114 points).
Florida eliminated its Sunshine State rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in Round 1, 4-1, beat the Boston Bruins in Round 2, 4-2, and then took out the aforementioned Rangers, 4-2, in the NHL Eastern Conference Finals. The Panthers are 12-5 in the Postseason heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Florida, the defending Eastern Conference champions, also reached the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, but they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-1.
The Oilers qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by finishing with the second-best record in the Pacific Division(49-27-6, 104 points). Edmonton was one of four Canadians to advance to the Postseason, hoping to break the country’s 31-year Cup drought.
Edmonton beat the Nashville Predators in Round 1, 4-2, skated past their divisional rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, in Round 2, 4-3, and then took out a very talented Dallas Stars team in the NHL Western Conference Finals, 4-2, by playing some great defense.
The Oilers have a 12-7 record in the Postseason as they head into the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton has won five Stanley Cups and this will be their eighth appearance fighting for the most famous trophy in professional sports, the Stanley Cup.
Players to Watch: Florida Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk, Left Wing
The heart of the Panthers attack is Left Wing Matthew Tkachuck, a 26-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, who leads Florida with 19 points in its 17 games in these NHL Playoffs. Tkachuk was also brilliant in last year’s Postseason, tallying three game-winners for the Eastern Conference champions despite suffering a broken sternum in the Stanley Cup Final.
Tkachuck (6-2, 206) scored 26 goals and had 62 assists for 88 points for Florida in the 2024 NHL Regular Season. He finished with a +/—of +19 and is a huge reason this team is favored to win its first Stanley Cup.
Aleksander Barkov, Center
Finnish product Aleksander Barkov has 6 goals and 11 assists for Florida this Postseason and leads the team’s top linealong with Left Wing Carter Verhaeghe and Right Wing Sam Reinhart. Barkov (6-2, 215)—the No. 2 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft—had 23 goals and 57 assists for 80 points in the 2024 NHL Regular Season with an impressive +/- of +33.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Goalie
Russian sensation Sergei Bobrovsky is always fun to watch and was a huge reason the Cats gave up the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (200) this past season. Only the Winnipeg Jets allowed fewer pucks in the net (199) in the NHL this year.
Bobrovsky went 36-17-4 (2.37 GA, .915 SV%, 6 S) in the Regular Season for the Panthers and a perfect 2-0-0 against Edmonton with a stellar 2.00 GA and a .941 Save Percentage.
Fourteen-year veteran Bobrovsky has gone 12-5 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, allowing 2.20 gpg (38 goals) and making 377 saves (.908 save percentage) along the way, including this absolute beauty against the rival Lightning in Round 1, shown below.
Players to Watch: Edmonton Oilers
Leon Draisaitl, Center
The leader of the Oilers' second-line combination, along with Left Wing Dylan Holloway and Right Wing Evander Kane, the talented Leon Draisaitl is one of the best players in the NHL every season. However, he is forced to live in the long blue and orange shadow of teammate Connor McDavid, who is seen as the best player in the league. He had just one assist in two games vs. Florida this season.
Draisaitl (6-2, 209)—the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft—finished the 2023-24 NHL Regular Season with 106 points, a team-leading 41 goals and 65 assists, and a +/- of +26. In these 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Cologne, Germany product has 28 points from 10 goals and 18 assists.
Connor McDavid, Center
The key cog of the Oilers' first line with Left Wing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Right Wing Zach Hyman, living legend Connor McDavid is generally recognized as the best skater in the NHL. A head-to-head battle with Panthers netminder extraordinaire Bobrovsky should be a battle for the ages in the NHL.
McDavid (6-1, 194) was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and the Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada product ended the Regular Season with 132 points from 32 goals and a league-leading (tied) 100 assists with a +/1 +35 for hockey-loving Edmonton.
In these 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, McDavid has 31 points from 5 goals and 26 assists. Against Florida in the two meetings this Regular Season, McDavid scored 2 goals and had 1 assist.
Stuart Skinner, Goalie
Edmonton has never been known for playing great defense, so the emergence of Goalie Stuart Skinner has been a really pleasant surprise for the team as well as Oilers fans. Without the play of the 25-year-old Skinner, Edmonton would not bein this fortunate position.
In the Regular Season, Skinner went 36-16-5 with a 2.62 GAA and a .905 Save Percentage, registering 2 Shutouts along the way. In the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Skinner has gone 11-5 with a 2.50 GAA, making 330 Saves and allowing 40 GA (.897 SV%), so Edmonton will need him at his absolute best against the shot-happy Panthers.
When Does the Stanley Cup Final Start?
When is the Stanley Cup Final? With the NHL Eastern Conference Finals and the NHL Western Conference Finalsall wrapped up, the 2024 Stanley Cup Final will start this weekend at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Game 1 is set for Saturday, June 8, and Game 2 is on Tuesday, June 10.
The best-of-7 series will then head to the Great White North for the next two games at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for Game 3 on Thursday, June 13, and Game 4 on Saturday, June 15.
If necessary, Game 5 will be played on Tuesday, June 18, back at Amerant Bank Arena in suburban Miami, with Game 6scheduled for Friday, June 21, at Rogers Place in Edmonton. A classic winner-take-all Game 7 would be played back in Sunrise, Florida, at Amerant Bank Arena, providing NHL glory and memories.
The last time an NHL Stanley Cup Final series needed all seven games came back in 2019, where the Western Conference champion St. Louis Blues edged the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins, 4-3.
Where to Watch the Stanley Cup Final
Where to watch the Stanley Cup Final? It all depends on where you live and what TV or streaming services are at your disposal. In the USA, ABC will air the series on TV, with ESPN+ and Fubo offering streaming service coverage of the NHL championship.
In Canada, Sportsnet, CBC, and TVA Sports (French-speaking) will all be carrying the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final. With a Canadian team finally back in the final two, we can expect many more viewers in North America than in 2023 (2.6 million viewers per game).
2024 Stanley Cup Final Schedule
Game 1: Saturday, June 8—Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
Game 2: Monday, June 10—Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
Game 3: Thursday, June 13—Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers
Game 4: Saturday, June 15—Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers
Game 5: Tuesday, June 18—Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
Game 6: Friday, June 21—Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers
Game 7: Monday, June 24—Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
Where to Listen to the Stanley Cup Final
You can listen to the Panthers and Oilers battling in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final live on satellite and online radio station SiriusXM on Channel 91, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,
All of the games are scheduled to start at 8 pm EDT (7 CDT/6 MDT/5 PDT).
Where to Get Stanley Cup Final Tickets
You can find 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final tickets here this month at TicketX.
Tickets for what would be a critical Game 5 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida on will be played on Tuesday, June 18 are currently available for as low as $614.39 here at TicketX with what would be the hottest ticket in hockey this year—a potential Game 7 showdown back in South Florida on Monday, June 24—now available for as low as $901.93.
First-time users can get 10% using the special Ticket X promo code during June.
About TicketX
TicketX is America's newest secondary ticket market, which debuted in July 2023. TicketX's mission is to provide the best ticket-selling and ticket-buying experience for American users. Thanks to our solid foundation built by TicketJam, the largest secondary ticket marketplace in Asia, TicketX promises to bring long-term support as well as world-class customer experience to the American audience. By leveraging the expertise and success of TicketJam as well as its Magazine, TicketX is poised to set new standards and redefine expectations in the dynamic world of resale ticket markets within America.
