Comparing the Panthers and Oilers on the Eve of the Final

[@SeanEllsworth-b8j]

I have learned so much about hockey from this guy. He is nice and explains things well.

[@TheKisj]

Shannon is one of the best

[@legrandfromage6450]

He is honest about his team favourites, but very fair to all the other teams he "should" hate like Canadiens, Flames, etc.

[@randomassname445]

This guy has too many American hockey fans. Look at all the comments saying panthers will win lol Either that, or butthurt Canadian hockey fans turned traitors. LETS GO OILERS!!!!!!

[@legrandfromage6450]

@@randomassname445 It would be great to see the Oilers take it home again. Grew up watching the end of Canadiens dynasty and the start of Oilers, etc. There were Canadian teams in the finals almost every single year back then. It's terrible for the league to have this long of a Canadian cup drought.

[@quincee3376]

Very true.

[@justinnash09]

Best non biased comparison. Love it. Been a long time subscriber.

[@ZykoMike]

Miami born and raised and a Panthers fan since the moment the existed. I’m so pumped for the finals this year!

[@fndmntl5341]

Hell yea dude... Edmonton born and raised, Oilers fan since I existed... Let's goooo

[@MagicMike_101]

I become Canadian! I learned how to love ice hockey! NEVER the oilers! Go Panthers!

[@danielarens9941]

I remember watching in ‘96 and being a Blues fan I could well relate to that loss for obvious reasons 😢 lol Good luck Panther fans! I’m looking forward to it!

[@par000002]

Your analysis is spot on. All I know is one group of "Know It All's" will be happy and the other group of "Know It All's" will be mad and the result will be a bunch of "Know It All's" that will argue and give you a lot of comments to digest.

[@emirvel2548]

I’ve been watching your channel for a long time since the beginning but have never commented. You are a great, honest, and knowledgeable fan of hockey. As an Oilers fan since those dark times of poor coaching, GM changes, and the sentiment that nobody wants to be in Edmonton, the 2006 heartbreak was particularly tough for me and many others in Edmonton. This city deserves the cup after all the pain we, as fans, have endured.

[@people3865]

I really don't care who wins as a Leafs fan, but I'd like to see Hyman win one, and Mcdavid finally cement himself as one of the greatest of all time.

[@captainhobbes4841]

This was awesome analysis. I like this format! Go Panthers!

[@likeloureed]

Thank you for the in-depth breakdown, really enlightening and shows a lot of parity between the two teams it seems. The best preview of the final I’ve seen on KZbin.🙏

[@Kazahad1110]

This was a great break down of the teams. Would love to see more videos in this style going forward into next season, though I realize it must take a lot of time and effort. Thank you sir.

[@Koersky]

I think it could only happen in the finals or conference finals

[@poejavelski148]

An interesting trend I found: since the 1974 Flyers beat the Bruins, there have been 20 instances where one finalist has been to the finals at least once in the previous 5 years, whereas their opponent is making it for the first time in awhile. 19/20 winners were the teams with experience. The 2022 Avs are the only team to overcome this trend. I was very conflicted about this series, but this trend finalized me on the Panthers.

[@reasonablerage4370]

2022 avs similar to this years Oilers, mediocre goalie, stellar defense and star power.

[@poejavelski148]

@@reasonablerage4370 I don’t disagree with you in terms of goaltending, but to be clear, the 2022 Avs and this years Oilers aren’t even in the same galaxy. Despite the mediocre goaltending, the 22 Avs were likely the best Stanley Cup winner in the lockout era, arguably one notch lower than the 08 Wings. I don’t say this as a biased fan or anything but as someone who has spent considerable time analyzing different areas of stats.

[@busfeet2080]

I also think Florida is unshakably confident

[@jodegauthier2984]

@@busfeet2080Oilers bring chaos and that could shake up the Panthers

[@Canyoutakeitallaway]

Even as a Wings fan I'd tell you those Avs were the better team. Nobody was beating them in 2022

[@T-RexPanther00]

This series will be tough and I think it’ll be an instant classic. The oilers are a great team with lethal top end talent. I will obviously back the Panthers to win it all but I think it might take all 7 games.

[@canad1anadventure]

Edmonton will win

[@jackhartmann1084]

I think you're right about it being a classic.

[@T-RexPanther00]

@@canad1anadventure they are certainly good enough to win this. It’ll be great hockey

[@brandonkrebs7420]

As an Edmonton fan I feel the same way, with Edmonton winning of course 😅😂. Either way it should be a great series between two deserving teams!

[@timsmothers8740]

I just want to get this bloody damn thing going already. And before I go fugg, the NBA And Baskeeball in General except perhaps for The Navajo Rez. Maybe Ryan and Mrs. Utah Yeti's can get some hockey equipment of the Non Ice type delivered to the children OTR.

[@ShannonFerguson]

Thanks for the overview. It's going to be awesome!

[@cpmyers]

I believe the key factor will be the special teams. If Edmonton excels in their powerplay and Florida doesn't pay attention, that might just decide the series. Really looking forward to these games, it's going to be some great hockey.

[@chasemer6]

Shannon, let’s get a video covering the Stanley Pup!

[@defaultuser1447]

The cats vetoed that.

[@BestSomebodyNA]

​@@defaultuser1447the rabbits seconded that veto.

[@alexmcvetty2340]

So excited for the game tonight. This is going to be a great series. Thanks for all the great videos. Go Cats!

[@ALTDOK667]

Awesome analysis! Best hockey channel!

[@goose5462]

Nice analysis. Appreciated.

[@bryn20015]

Nothing wrong with ur current series previews but I actually like this format as a series preview.

[@cptcharisma4293]

I can't wait ... hopefully this series will be one to remember. As a Panthers fan I hope the Cats will finally finish the story and win the cup, but the Oilers are no joke. Solid stats and a really dangerous offense.

[@serfindukdb1776]

here's how i see this playing out, from a Panthers perspective: 1. Barkov's line, along with the Forsling/Ekblad dpair, will be deployed against McDavid at every faceoff (that isn't from an icing call) 2. Bennett's line will be tasked with getting under Draisaitl's skin, but will provide spot-duty for Barkov's line against McDavid if need be 3. Lundell's line will be the biggest X-Factor for trying to produce a sizable chunk of the offense, but will still be counted on to take some shifts against Draisaitl's line. i can see the Mikkola/Montour dpair playing exclusively with Lundell's line 4. Hopefully Stenlund's line can chip in some timely goals against what i perceive to be the weakness of the Oilers team either way, it's gonna be a chess match, & i'll give Maurice the advantage there. let's have an entertaining series, GO CATS

[@Vancebauder-f5d]

I like how you broke down both teams I always look forward to your videos everyday

[@hamish_d]

I think it'll be the best finals in years. Last 2 that haven't felt like forgone conclusions was 2019 Boston vs Blues and then Blackhawks vs Lightning 2015. This series is anyone's game. Don't have a horse in this race, just can't wait to enjoy great SCF hockey baybeee

[@SNFDNSD]

Florida just looks like a more complete team to me.

[@LARGO125]

I think another reason for all the off days is the 7+ hour flight between cities.

[@breaker6683]

I think the delay on travel days is also related to the fact that Miami and Edmonton are over 4000 kms apart from each other. Teams might want an extra day to recover after an 8 hour flight.

[@sooptime]

Shannon needs to be a feature on every pre-game or post-game NHL playoff broadcast.

[@ap1283]

Excellent explanation on the days off in the final.

[@danmac9336]

As a lightning fan I can guarantee you 3rd lines are VERY IMPORTANT!

[@Christophernbh]

i keep thinking "theres no way they can win with Ceci and Nurse," and then they do, so i would say my opinion doesnt matter. Florida in 6.

[@kulusic1]

I think Florida's tendency to put their 3rd forward deep while forechecking( and thus force a lot of turn overs deep in the offensive zone) is going to cause fits for the oilers. Edmonton loves bringing their center down low to pick up speed, and then receive a lateral pass from a winger in the neutral zone. Which shouldn't be able to occur because Florida takes away so much space from the opposing team's defensemen, which would force the wingers to carry the puck up the ice once receiving a pass from a defenseman, putting a lot of emphasis on their wingers to step up and out perform Florida's glut of great wingers. But if there's anybody who'd be capable of overcoming a strategic disadvantage, it's McDrai. Very interesting matchup. It should be a lot of fun.

[@billkochuk]

I would love to see Maurice win the cup. He was on the wrong end of 5 game finals in both 2002 with the Canes, and last year. He has more than paid his dues.

[@Wogger72]

97 & 29 are a DYAD IN THE FORCE! It's for the CUP!! Coach can DOUBLE SHIFT THE HECK OUT OF THEM!!

[@otaviofrn_adv]

As the days have gone by, this is feeling more and more like an evenly balanced clash for me. I'm almost at the point of "unstoppable force vs immovable object".

[@VurtAbernathy]

That third period stat is massive. If FL continues their 3rd period dominance in this series, that just might be the difference

[@artie218]

I think the long time off makes people have a reconsideration of who should win and it becomes more overthinking.. Just a matter of which team imposes its will.. If Florida shuts down the PP and Edmonton cant score in the 3rd, all Florida has to do is stay close and its a matter of time. If Edmonton has their powerplay working as well as it has been, look out for Edmonton.

[@TheGspoters]

What a fantastic unbiassed breakdown. Was there not any reference to special teams comparison? Although Florida is pretty stellar on the kill and power-play, the Oilers power-play is obvious, but to not mention that the Oilers have killed 28 consecutive penalties, at 94%, was a surprising oversight. Which, by numbers, clearly gives the Oilers special teams advantage.

[@juusox9638]

Hockey is not only making points. It's also nullifying the opponent

[@WeeCarBoot]

It should be pointed out, Shannon, that the distance (therefore flight times) between the contending cities' arenas is the longest ever in the history of the (NHL-era) Stanley Cup Finals. It is also, I'm led to believe, the longest trip for a final in *_any_* pro sport in North American history (which kinda means the whole world - aside from Russian football matches). This factor will certainly affect scheduling for a 2-2-1-1-1 series. It will also affect the players - on both sides - both physically and mentally. Look out for that kind of "vigour-versus-fatigue" element in this series. I'm going to be pretty sedentary by comparison, and I'm looking forward to it!

[@evangelosvasiliades1204]

Shout out to when the Canadian Women's Hockey League had a team from China that played in China.

[@WeeCarBoot]

@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Touché! Now there's a long hike.

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

This should be a fantastic final...can't wait for it to start...Go Oilers!!!

[@ericpaul375]

Thanks for another great one Shannon! LETS GO CATS!!!

[@jamesfranchuk4396]

Huge Oil fan. Love your breakdown. Gonna be a tough series. Just want it to start already. Nice breakdown

[@djentleman7]

To the Panthers and the Oilers and their fans, congrats here and now regardless of the outcome. We have here the two best and deserving teams in this final. What a season 23-24 is!

[@jonasgorea3823]

Man i just hope the games start soon.

[@ryans413]

Tomorrow

[@nickh4354]

you know they are scheduled in advance, right? we don't have to hope and pray lol

[@mustafanisar4506]

Thanks for the analysis. Both teams are so close. I guess whoever deals with the travel+jetlag well is going to win the series.

[@pharmerbrob2516]

I say it goes 6 if things go well for Edmonton. If they do not and their PP and/or PK doesn't have the same success or if Skinner has a rough go, then I pick Panthers in 5. Either way, i think Panthers win in 5 or 6.

[@datriaxsondor590]

Great video lookin over some interesting stats. Anyone who thinks either of these teams is going out in 4 or 5, is hilariously deluded.

[@TylerMorganShow]

Here we go

[@ocdlonelyguy]

Great stuff

[@MegaStara]

Whoever wins on these two teams there's something special about it.

[@dirtywords7314]

Valid, honest, & fair preview. Panthers in 4.....

[@ralliartstyle]

Great video!!! Thanks for sharing.. cats in 6

[@37BopCity]

Excellent analysis! Very comprehensive and interesting. This is way better than the totally BS Ron McLean panel that we are forced to endure every single game. Both teams are very evenly matched except for one thing ---- Oilers have the best hockey player in the world. Oilers have the best power play. Florida can only win by shutting down McDavid in particular, and avoiding penalties which killed Dallas and Vancouver. It will be very physical with Tzachuk throwing his weight around as he always does, but Oilers are used to him when he was with Flames.

[@dyingfromthelying]

Well, as always. I think Skinner's the wild card.

[@ryans413]

Everyone was saying Dallas was elite and now that Dallas got beat they are saying well the Oilers haven’t really played anyone. Give me a break these people flip flop what they say.

[@defgrant]

Yup its the same people saying the oilers will lose because the cats are so deep. On a side note most pundits had the oilers over vegas in last years playoffs round two predictions, the talking heads are essentially vapid jaw waggers.

[@rdeh1678]

It will be a tight series prob go to 7 if oilers can hold up to the hard hitting and some dirty hits they will win but if Bennett does what he does it may go the other way

[@mcthunderstick2374]

Agreed. I said Dallas was elite and they were. Edmonton showed up big and completely locked down their defence, which was honestly a surprise to me. I’m hopeful they’ve finally figured out that defence issue, but only time will tell. They won because they finally played like a team, not because they haven’t played any tough teams.

[@PB1300]

Dallas was killed with injuries on the blueline. Florida is a deeper team, with better goaltending, and are going into this years Finals, healthy!

[@Hank-js1wf]

Fla opp at 5v5... Tbl: 25th Off / 15th Def Bos: 14th / 14th Nyr: 22nd / 19th Edm opp at 5v5... La: 7th Off / 4th Def Van: 16th / 6th Dal: 8th / 2nd

[@joshieboy9832]

Gonna be a great series! My prediction Panthers in 5. Honestly taking that big risk for saying 5 but Panthers were there last year and had the feeling of losing in the finals. That playoff run taught them how to win, and I think they'll play every game, giving it there all to end this quickly. Especially since they are alot healthier. Oilers won't be a easy team. I think game one will be a high scoring game and then it'll slow down. All games will be 1 goal games with some in OT much like the rangers series so OT wins are gonna matter a lot in who will get the edge. Sucks that they waited a week only because this was the week I had off😩 but hopefully the games make up for it with the best series we've seen!! I hope if the Oilers win it's in a OT Controversial perry goal. Perry did that to the oilers and won back in 2017. Only seems fair he gives them that energy😂🤣

[@NatsdadsamI]

Are you using typical lines for a reason or have these been posted as starting lines? Kulak and Nurse have been playing together recently and thought they would be starting.

[@pyrielrising4338]

At what point do you start wearing the Oiler jersey Shannon?

[@jcg9998]

This analysis is basically an offensive one. The Panthers game is not pouring on goals... it's puck possession. How well will they match up in the corners and along the boards is not addressed. That's the reason why the Panthers are favorites. Of course, anybody can win in a playoff series. Luck is always an element.

[@gerryboric6777]

Edmonton loves being underdog

[@lukash9290]

The thing is, take McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard out and the Oiler lose almost all of their offense. Take Tkachuck, Barkov and Bennett out for the Panrthers - that would OBVIOUSLY hurt them a lot, but that still leaves them with Verhaghe, Reinhart, Lundell, Rodrigues and Forsling to fuel their goal scoring. And Bob has the edge on the goaltening. Florida is the better team top to bottom, whereas Edmonton is top heavy - it's just a question of will top end offense or depth win the deal (and usually, it's the depth that wins you the cup)

[@toomanyquestionsjusttopost7281]

Hilarious how you ignored among others the top goal scorer in the play-offs in your take. So well done, I'm sure Hyman won't mind if the FLA defense ignores him as well.

[@DonCherry-oy9xq]

I mean nuge has more points than any of those💀

[@claudiodemarco4388]

I have a hard time believing that anyone can dismantle the 200 foot blanket that Florida puts on the ice.

[@indade]

Barkov and Mcjesus with a combined 8 penalty minutes……….fookin’ goons.

[@briand6558]

It's a team game but high end talent could be the deciding factor. Florida doesn't have a McDavid or a Draisaitl

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

As a neutral fan, all i can say is *this is where the fun begins*

[@joshualuttrell7269]

Half of mcdavid's penalty minutes were the 4 minute at start of OT

[@SylviusTheMad]

That 4 minute rest might have won the game for the Oilers.

[@mcthunderstick2374]

@@SylviusTheMadthat’s actually a good point. Resting a guy like McDavid for 4 minutes is a double edged sword.

[@neillore7332]

He'd have had 4 more if the refs had called the high stick on Hughes. I'm not complaining, but I still don't understand why the refs missed that high stick and didn't go to video, but did miss the high stick in OT and went to video in order to get the call right. I'm on board with them caring about getting the call right, especially on one so obvious in hindsight, I just didn't know refs were allowed to stop the game and go to replay to get that right, and I don't understand why they didn't do it both times. Neither review would have slowed the game down, they were both incredibly obvious from most angles.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Keep in mind the panthers have played against 3 of the top 5 goaltenders in the NHL in this years playoffs. Each of those top goalies(Vasilevskiy, Swayman, Shesterkin) played out their minds to keep their teams in the hunt. Skinner has to do the same or I think the series will on the shorter side in favor of the panthers.

[@Bowman1999]

Hoping this series goes 7 games

[@ponyboy9765]

It’s interesting that two teams who are constructed totally different are pretty close when you compare them side-by-side. To me, the Panthers still seem better when it comes to depth I feel like if you can shut down McDavid And Drasitl you have a pretty good chance of beating the Oilers but there’s no when you can really say that about on the Panthers they typically get a little more overall contribution up and down the line up.

[@blackberrythorns]

he posted the numbers on the board and compared/contrasted.

[@SherlockBettz]

Nice picture of your Dad on the Stanley Cup ❤🏆

[@lonelycake4114]

The break was okay maybe one day too long Nice that final teams gets rested

[@fndmntl5341]

Looking forward to what you have to say, regardless of if it goes against my heart lol

[@fndmntl5341]

I wouldn't say the Oilers are great at shot suppression... They got tripled a few times in sog

[@OzzSabbath]

Anxiety at an all-time high. I'm an Oilers fan, and I know they can come out swinging. That being said, every time the puck is around Skinner my heart rate sky rockets. I wish we could magically make Cujo young again and have him in the net. He made unbelievable saves when he was an Oiler, and the team in front of him was nowhere near as good as the Oilers are now. When Skinner is at the top of his game he is great, but he is also inconsistent.

[@ForthEorlingas9]

Ive been watching since 2016 and always wondered this, how long does it take you to write everything out on the whiteboards?

[@staffan144]

The reason why both teams have so many give aways is because they have so much more puck possion than their opponents? (what were the two teams puck possessions btw?)

[@sweggums_muney]

Oilers were HUGE favourites vs the Canucks... I got a canucks line for +200

[@aamocryp]

As a Panthers fan I was afraid of the Rangers going into that series, so was surprised by the seeming lack of fight from anyone but Shesterkin. Similarly I didn't expect Edmonton to deal with the Stars so handily. And as a result of this I expect Esmonton to play with so much fight I wouldn't be surprised if the series went 4-2 for the Oilers. So my question will be how much drive do the Panthers have and can they outdo all the skill and want in that Oilers team. If the series ends up lopsided either way it'll be a bit disappointing and feel like the losing side just didn't get their engines going, because both of these teams have what it takes to win.

[@blackberrythorns]

if kane, nurse and perry up their game it could get interesting.

[@desertfox486]

Which team are the cats picking?

[@_zedd1552]

It's going to be an awesome series. 2 very different style teams, but also i think both have the ability to adapt to their opponents. its going to be a chess match, with high end talent and stingy defence from both teams. Go Oilers!

[@shanielcabral]

I don’t dislike Florida, but seeing McDavid lift the Cup would be awesome

[@jasonandros9395]

Got it:)…Neither are my team but I have enjoyed the build up! And…go Oilers

[@christopherkuzek9816]

great dive brother this is goanna be a fantastic series oilers in seven

[@jasonbornne7767]

Not a fan of either team. I don’t see Florida losing this.

[@jnorato]

Excellent information. Panthers in 5

[@shaman2384]

Oilers 3rd line is interesting, nothing on paper, but they have GWG ability for days. Perry is perry and McLeod might be one of the most underrated players in the NHL after his brother Michael who is absolute stud.

[@humblelad]

Shannon actually wore purple with the silver stripe to indicate the LA Kings and how they would get their revenge by proxy with a Florida win

[@larsandersson5974]

It looks as if Florida gets much more out of their 3rd line than oilers.

[@dansnyder9102]

Cats in a nail biter 7 game series

[@FC-tq1yj]

Leon had a quiet series against Dallas... he allowed McD to catch up to him in points per game in the playoffs... Leon's going to win the Conn Smyth.

[@AnEnemyAnenome]

Every single round I have dismissed the Oilers. I had Kings in 6, Canucks in 5, and Stars in 5 maybe even a sweep. I mean I had them 6th in the West and would have put them tied with the Islanders in the East. Can't believe they made it to the Finals but I again can't see them matching up well against the Panthers.

[@merz5050]

The other day: 1-0 Record: 45-36 Today: FLA

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

for neutral, week between conference finals and Stanley Cup final went fast

[@countzrathknock6737]

Yeah, my play pool we do picks each round... I'm not doing well so I picked Oilers in 4. Hahha but I think this goes 6 or 6

[@kchizen100]

Oilers have NO CHANCE against a real team like Dallas 😂

[@ryanalex106]

After so many unbearable years as a 41-year-old Oilers fan, this is a surreal moment our city has been clamoring for since 06 and beyond. I didn't think we stood a chance against Dallas yet here we are. Mad respect to Florida coming out of arguably the better conference two years in a row, but for the love of god our city deserves a cup after all the pain. In Mcjesus we trust.. buckle up for an amazing series. Side note to all the Panthers fans: that one hockey "pundit" in your media who called McD overrated just poked a bear that he should have left sleeping, so if the Oilers win, make sure that idiot is unemployed in two weeks

[@Blipp619]

As a Panthers fan, everyone picking the Panthers is really making me uneasy. I think there's a misunderstanding of what McDavid can do BY HIMSELF. gonna be a helluva series. #GOCATS!

[@saveyourselfplease5368]

I had a vision either McDavid wins the cup in Edmonton if not then he win it in New York with the rangers somehow 😂😂😂

[@SaveznaRepublikaJugoslavija]

Should be a great series, hope Oilers win in six at home

[@fndmntl5341]

Would be amazing to win at home, wish I could be there (I live on the island now)

[@Hank-js1wf]

I hope they do it in 4. Florida is overrated

[@jamesvandenberg]

Do you think all of the rest days will favour Edmonton because they can play their top guys half the game?

[@clydeblair9622]

Cross country travel may decide it.

[@rdeh1678]

What made up my mind is Drake bet on the oilers , plus the way Florida plays I see injuries may play into it