It has all come down to this. After the Florida Panthers opened up a 3-0 lead on the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final , many believed the series to be all but over. Then Connor McDavid and his friends outscored the Panthers by a combined score of 18-5 en route to tying the series up at three games apiece, becoming just the third team in NHL history to do so in the Stanley Cup Final.
Will the Oilers pull off the historic reverse sweep? Can the Panthers avoid ignominy? Here's everything you need to know before puck drop tonight, including what's at stake for each team, key players to watch and advanced matchup metrics from ESPN Stats & Information. Jump ahead: What's at stake? Players to watch, picks Key stats for Game 7 What's at stake for the Panthers? Reputation. And we're not talking (underrated) Taylor Swift albums.
Editor's Picks Bring on Game 7! Grades, lessons and more from a wild Game 6 win for the Oilers 2d Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton 'You don't touch the Stanley Cup until you've earned it': How the Keeper of the Cup helped shape hockey lore 9d Alyssa Haduck NHL free agent rankings: Guentzel, Montour, Stamkos among top options available 4d Greg Wyshynski The Panthers had been afterthoughts for most of the franchise's history. Florida lost in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final and then made just four playoff appearances -- without winning a round -- through the next 23 years.
It was a team players aspired to join at the end of their careers, when it was more.
