However the 2024 Stanley Cup Final ends, the drought will end for one of the two long-suffering teams in it.
On the one hand, there are the Florida Panthers — a team that has been there twice and fallen both times: once in 1996 to the Colorado Avalanche and last year to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Then there are the Edmonton Oilers, who haven’t played the Stanley Cup since 1990. They also carry the burden of Canada on their shoulders, as the Great White North has not lifted the trophy in 31 years.
Florida’s physical play will match Edmonton’s top line – which features hockey’s best player – in what should be a tough series for both sides.
Here, DailyMail.com previews the 2024 Stanley Cup Final and predicts who will come out on top.
The Florida Panthers have returned to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in two years
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are back in the finals for the first time since 2006
Florida’s Road to the Cup
Last year, you could say the Panthers got into the playoffs by accident — if the Pittsburgh Penguins hadn’t lost a game, their run to the Stanley Cup Final wouldn’t have happened.
There can be no such claims this year. Florida had been one of the top five teams in the NHL for most of the season and their core gelled extremely well throughout the campaign.
Last year there were coaching issues when it came to Paul Maurice and fans weren’t always happy with their ending to the trade for Matthew Tkachuk.
This year, both problems have disappeared as Maurice has coached brilliantly and Tkachuk has been one of the best players in the league.
Florida advanced through the first round with a Gentleman’s Sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They then powered their way past the Boston Bruins in six games before doing the same against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The team plays a very physical game – some would say borderline dirty – and is excellent at disrupting entry and exit zones by throwing the body around.
Whoever they played, it was going to be a tough time and now more than ever, this could be the best time for the Panthers to finally etch their name on Lord Stanley’s trophy.
The physical play of the Panthers swept aside all visitors and reached the final again
Florida players to watch
The Panthers have a well-rounded top line of Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart – who have combined for 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points in these playoffs.
Selke winner Barkov is one of the best faceoff takers in the match, while Verhaeghe and Reinhart lead the team in goals.
The second line is bolstered by Matthew Tkachuk, who leads the team in points with 19 – which happens to be the same number of penalty minutes as him.
On defense, the Cats are led offensively by Gustav Forsling with his 11 points in 17 games. Second-pair D-man Brandon Montour is also equally capable on offense with nine points in 17 games.
Between the pipes is Sergei Bobrovsky – who was excellent last season, but has looked just passable in these play-offs.
His save percentage of .908, combined with an average of 24.4 shots per game, is better than his counterpart and a testament to how good the defense is for him.
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in points despite only playing on the second line
Aleksander Barkov is the center of attention and just won the NHL’s Selke Award
Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky was decent in net, but not a superstar goalkeeper
Edmonton’s road to the Cup
If someone told you about a month into the season that the Edmonton Oilers would be in the Stanley Cup Finals, you’d be right to laugh a little.
Edmonton started the season 3-9-1 and fired coach Jay Woodcroft. Their goal and defense situation was shaky and goal scoring was not coming as reliably as it should.
All of these issues seemed to resolve themselves in January – a month in which they won 11 of 11 games – and the team played more steadily through the remainder of the regular season.
After defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Oilers went to seven games against the Pacific Division champion Vancouver Canucks. A three-goal burst in the second period was all it took to advance to the Western Conference finals.
It took Edmonton six games to beat the Dallas Stars; he won three in a row to close the series and earned the team’s first trip to a Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to break Canada’s 31-year Stanley Cup drought
Edmonton players to watch
This list starts with one name: Connor McDavid.
It would be wrong to say that he is the only name that belongs on this list, but he is by far the greatest. McDavid is the best hockey player in the world right now, and for good reason.
He leads all scorers in the playoffs with 31 points, even though most of that comes from assists. He is the best skater in the league and scored 132 points in the regular season, making him by far the best scorer in the playoffs.
But McDavid isn’t the only one good at putting the puck in the net. Edmonton even has the four top scorers in the playoffs this year.
Behind McDavid is his partner in crime, Leon Draisaitl. Even with him on the second line instead of his typical first-line spot, Draisaitl has been a star for Edmonton. His 10 goals lead the team and his 28 points are good for second.
Defender of the first pair, Evan Bouchard, is third with 27 points and star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is fourth with 20 points.
Rookie netminder Stuart Skinner struggled early in the playoffs and was inconsistent all season, but really came into his own in the Western Conference Finals. He may have a low save percentage of .897 in these playoffs, but through the six games of the last series he has a combined save percentage of .916 – including two games of .950 or better.
Connor McDavid (center) is the best player in the NHL and is desperate to win a Cup in Edmonton
The Oilers offense plowed past teams, even with second-line players like Leon Draisaitl
Stuart Skinner may not have the save percentage to show for it, but he has been great in recent games
So who will win it all?
Find out DailyMail.com’s picks for who will hoist the Stanley Cup below
The Panthers have a chance to win their first Cup in their history. The Oilers have a chance to win their first since 1990 and break a 31-year drought since the last Canadian team won the Cup.
It is a difficult series to predict. The top line for the Oilers is by far their biggest strength and could give Florida fits if they get rolling.
One thing we haven’t discussed yet is how Edmonton’s defense powers the offense. Of all four teams’ combined lines, the Oilers’ top pair of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are the fourth-most productive unit in terms of points scored — which could be Edmonton’s secret weapon.
But at the same time, Florida is very good at shutting down the top lines (see Boston, New York for reference) and they have much more consistent scoring depth than the Oilers.
While Edmonton’s top line is miles away from Florida’s in terms of points scored, the Panthers have beaten the Oilers on lines two and three.
It’s that depth that gives the Panthers the edge in this series, but don’t expect this series to end early. DailyMail.com’s prediction is: Florida in 7 games.