Favorites
Customise ESPN
Fantasy
ESPN Apps
ESPN Sites
Projecting the matchups, tactics and X factors that will matter most in the Stanley Cup Final
Game 1 of Oilers-Panthers is Saturday. Here are projections on the points of difference that will determine who wins the sport's ultimate prize.
Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images
CUP FINAL PICKS
Who will win the Stanley Cup Final? Our experts' picks for Panthers-Oilers
Will the Panthers win their first title? Or will the Oilers win their sixth? ESPN analysts, reporters make their series predictions.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Top Headlines
WHO WINS THE CUP FINAL?
Will Matthew Tkachuk take over? Can anything slow down Connor McDavid? The 20 biggest Stanley Cup Final questions
With Game 1 on Saturday, here are the key debates, ranging from data-driven queries to player performances and strategy to more ethereal concepts.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
PLAYOFF MVP RANKINGS
Who leads for the Conn Smythe ahead of the Stanley Cup Final? Here are the top 10 candidates
Just two teams are left in the postseason, but each club has a number of strong candidates. After asking voters, we count down the contenders.
Codie McLachlan/Getty Images
STANLEY CUP FINAL
LATEST NEWS AND NOTES
Kaplan's Stanley Cup buzz: What are the secrets to success for Oilers and Panthers?
How did last season set the stage for the Florida Panthers? What keyed the Edmonton Oilers' turnaround? Here's what we're hearing on the two teams left playing.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
STANLEY CUP FINAL MATCHUP
GAME 1 SATURDAY, JUNE 8 ON ABC/ESPN+
Stanley Cup Final preview: Players to watch, goalie confidence levels, top trends
The NHL's 2024 championship round is here. Will the Oilers win their sixth Cup, or will the Panthers take home their first? Here's an in-depth preview.
Illustration by ESPN
A NEW TITLE BELT
WWE makes custom championship belt for winner of Stanley Cup
The "WWE legacy belt" features the Cup and a hockey rink, and will also have the winning team's logo on the side plates.
WWE
NHL
Trivia: Think you know the Stanley Cup?
1:09
JOE PAVELSKI
NHL
'He's meant everything to our group:' What's next for Joe Pavelski after 18 seasons in the NHL?
Could he continue to play or could a job in a front office be the next step for the Stars center? Whatever it is, people within the organization expect him to be successful.
James/NHLI via Getty Images
Top Headlines
- Public split on Final; money backing Panthers
- 'Yeti' among 6 finalists for Utah NHL team name
- Ex-Islanders coach Lambert hired by Maple Leafs
- Stanley Cup Final gets sign language broadcast
- Rangers disappointed but confident core can win
- Stars' Pavelski walking away after 18 seasons
- Chicago network to air Bulls, Blackhawks, Sox
Customise ESPN
Best of ESPN+
- Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images
Offseason keys for NHL teams, including draft, free agency
We explore the next moves each team should make this summer and forecast its 2024-25 outlook.
- Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images
Ranking every NHL team's prospects: Why the Sabres are No. 1
Clubs will add to their pools of young talent in the draft, but who has the best system right now? We count them down from 32 to 1.
Trending Now
- WWE
WWE creates unique title belt for Stanley Cup Final
The "WWE legacy belt" features the Cup and a hockey rink, and will also have the winning team's logo on the side plates.
- John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images
Stanley Cup playoffs: A guide to all 16 teams' quirky traditions
From knight battles to the catfish toss, all 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams have franchise-defining traditions.
- (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
What's on the masks of Stanley Cup playoff goalies? Our guide
From throwback logos to player tributes to a friendly otter, see the unique mask designs that goalies on 2024 postseason teams have worn this season.
