The scene is shifting to South Florida as the 2026 Stanley Cup Final continues.
So far, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers have put on one hell of a show.
Both teams have picked up an overtime victory so far, with Edmonton earning a comeback 4-3 win in Game 1 and Florida responding with a 5-4 double OT victory two nights later.
Considering the Panthers and Oilers played a series last June that was widely considered one of the best in recent memory, it’s not terribly surprising to see them running it back this year.
Looking back at the opening two games, it was clear that Florida looked and felt much better about playing their style in Game 2 than they did in Game 1.
It’s tough on both teams because they are each trying to impose their will and systems on the other, but at this point, the Panther and Oilers are facing the toughest challenge they have all season.
Lineup-wise, the only potential question for Florida will be whether A.J. Greer slots back onto the fourth line or if Jesper Boqvist continues to replace him.
Despite Game 2 going into double overtime, Boqvist played only 8:41, the fewest minutes of any Panthers player. Linemate Jonah Gadjovich wasn’t far behind at 8:53.
Perhaps Greer back on the line will infuse some confidence in Maurice to deploy them more often.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 3 against Edmonton:
Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Scratches: Mackie Samoskevich, Uvis Balinskis, Jesper Boqvist, Nico Sturm, Jaycob Megna
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Photo caption: Jun 6, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and Edmonton Oilers defenseman John Klingberg (36) attempt to get the puck during the second period in game two of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)