To win at this time of the year players put their bodies through so much. In this series, with the history of the two teams, having met in the Stanley Cup Final last year, the Panthers edging the Oilers in seven games, there was a feeling going in that it was essentially a rivalry continued as opposed to renewed.

The defending champs were outplayed for stretches in the opener and ultimately lost in overtime, but they are not expecting to make any major changes for Friday’s Game 2.

Former Oilers captain and NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is dropping a truth bomb on the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.