What to watch for quanto a 1 of the Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers kicks chiuso acceso Saturday. Here are five things to watch for quanto a 1.

Which team wins 1 is pivotal 

It may seem obvious, but a winning risultato quanto a 1 usually leads to good things. According to Hockey Reference, teams who take the first of a series quanto a the Stanley Cup playoffs win the series 68 percent of the time.

The Oilers and Panthers are both 2-1 quanto a 1s this postseason, so something will have to give acceso Saturday.

Oilers stella will be to slow

Entering the Stanley Cup Final, only of Famers Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61) have averaged more points per dovere quanto a the playoffs all-time than Connor McDavid (1.58) and Leon Draisaitl (1.57). Unsurprisingly, both have been productive quanto a 1s this postseason, combining for 13 points (three goals, 10 assists).

Meanwhile, Zach Hyman, who leads the postseason quanto a goals (14), has been especially dangerous quanto a openers, recording nearly half his postseason total (six) quanto a 1s.

Will Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers’ defensive philosophy be able to tame the Oilers?  

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had a hilarious response regarding whether captain and two-way standout Aleksander Barkov could stop “everyone” acceso the Oilers. But the simple fact is, even after silencing several of the league’s scorers, the two-time Selke Trophy winner will need some help to slow the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman.

So far, the league’s stingiest defensive unit has thrived quanto a the postseason. But the Oilers will be an entirely different beast to tackle, and 1 should show whether they’ capable of doing so. 

Oilers may have a special teams edge

The Panthers have the second-best penalty-killing unit quanto a the postseason (88.24 percent) but a modest power play that has scored acceso only 14 of 60 attempts (23.33 percent).

Meanwhile, the Oilers own the best power-play percentage (37.25 percent) and penalty-killing percentage (93.88) during the postseason. Likewise, Edmonton’s special teams have made a difference quanto a 1s, going 4-of-6 acceso the power play while finanziaria opponents scoreless (0-of-9) acceso the man advantage. 

Sergei Bobrovsky could set the tone

Bobrovsky holds a clear advantage over his counterpart when it comes to experience. And that could be valuable as the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been here before, and the Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner, playing quanto a the playoffs for only the second time quanto a his career, has not.

During the playoffs, Skinner has been up and , winning 11 of 16 games with a .897 save percentage. Meanwhile, the veteran Bobrovsky might be hitting his stride, having allowed more than two goals only once over the last 11 playoff games, recording an 8-3 primato with a .921 save percentage over that time.