For the second season in a row, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will meet in the Stanley Cup Final. Florida won the Cup last season in seven games.
Ahead of Game 1 Wednesday in Edmonton (8 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max), we combined the teams and ranked the best 10 players in inverse order.
10. Niko Mikkola, D, Florida Panthers
Season: 76 games, six goals, 16 assists | Playoffs: 16 games, three goals, two assists
It’s a testament to how much talent is in this series that you could select six or seven other players for this spot, but Mikkola upping his game during the playoffs and playing a critical role on Florida’s second pair and penalty kill lands him in the top 10. He is an impressive plus-7 at 5-on-5 in the postseason, and Florida has allowed only three goals in 35 minutes of penalty-killing time with him on the ice.
9. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
Season: 33-19-2, .905 save percentage, 2.44 GAA, five shutouts | Playoffs: 12-5-0, .912 save percentage, 2.11 GAA, three shutouts
“Bob” hasn’t quite had the same level of flash during this playoff run for Florida, but he’s still dependable. At 36, he is the oldest goalie to start a game this postseason.
8. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C/W, Edmonton Oilers
Season: 78 games, 20 goals, 29 assists | Playoffs: 16 games, five goals, 13 assists
His offensive numbers withered during the regular season, but Nugent-Hopkins spent much of the Western Conference Final reminding the league that he’s still a dangerous player only two years removed from his only 100-point regular season.
7. Matthew Tkachuk, W, Florida Panthers
Season: 52 games, 22 goals, 35 assists | Playoffs: 17 games, five goals, 11 assists, 16 points
Under normal circumstances, Tkachuk probably would be higher on this list. He has been quiet for stretches during these playoffs, perhaps because he is battling injuries. Still, Tkachuk has found ways to be impactful in spurts in his trademark fashion and still has provided nearly a point per game in the postseason.
6. Evan Bouchard, defenseman, Edmonton Oilers
Season: 82 games, 14 goals, 53 assists | Playoffs: 16 games, six goals, 11 assists
Few players draw the same level of debate as Bouchard, a highly gifted offensive player with an occasional penchant for defensive lapses. His colossal shot, “The Bouch Bomb,” has probably changed the course of these playoffs.
