Panthers expect ‘a lot of emotions’ as they host Oilers for first time since Cup Final
Sam Reinhart’s goal on Thursday gave Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice a little bit of deja vu.
In the first period against the New Jersey Devils, Reinhart took a feed down the left side of the ice and worked his way into the offensive zone. As he entered the left circle, he muscled his way in front of Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, drove to the net and flicked a wrist shot over New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen’s blocker for the only goal in Florida’s 1-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena.
Maurice would have been amazed by the effort ... if it were the first time Reinhart had done that.
“I’ve seen that one against Edmonton,” Maurice quipped postgame.
The goal Maurice is referencing came in a much bigger moment — Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to be exact — and had a little more theatrics at the end. That day, Reinhart stole the puck from Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the neutral zone, charged forward, beat Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm and let off a wrist shot as he was falling in the slot that beat Stuart Skinner 4:36 into regulation. It was Reinhart’s first of four goals in the eventual 5-1 win to clinch Florida’s second consecutive Stanley Cup, both of which came against Edmonton in the final.
The rivalry between the two teams officially renews on Saturday when the Panthers (11-8-1) host the Oilers (9-9-5) for the first time since that June 17 matchup that saw Florida once again hoist Lord Stanley and become the seventh team in the expansion era (since the 1967-68 season) to win consecutive Stanley Cups.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Amerant Bank Arena.
“It’s going to be physical. A lot of emotions. A hard game again,” center Anton Lundell said. “It’s going to be like how we play against any hard playoff team that we have played against in the past. Sure, there’s a spark between the teams, and I’m excited for that game because it’s gonna be a good one.”
Added defenseman Aaron Ekblad: “There’s a lot of juice in the building, for sure. [There’s] 82 games [in a season]. You try to bring your best effort and best foot forward for every single one of them, but there’s something about games that have a little bit more meaning that bring out the best in our group.”
And the Panthers enter the game playing perhaps their best hockey of the season. Florida enters the game having won four of its past five games, including going 3-1-0 so far on this homestand that ends on Saturday.
Florida has done so with an ever-changing lineup as injuries continue to pile up. The Panthers have seven players sidelined long-term in forwards Aleksander Barkov (ACL/MCL surgery), Matthew Tkachuk (adductor muscle and sports hernia surgery), Tomas Nosek (knee surgery), Jonah Gadjovich (undisclosed upper-body surgery), Eetu Luostarinen (burns from a barbecuing accident) and Cole Schwindt (broken right arm) plus defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder surgery).
But regardless of who is in the lineup, regardless of who is playing with who on the ice, the Panthers are finding a way to stay competitive as their depth continues to get tested.
“We’re used to it by now,” forward Mackie Samoskevich said. “We’re a tight-knit group. Not a lot bothers us. Just gotta keep going.”
As the Panthers prepare for Edmonton, they know the Oilers are going to be a challenge regardless of their record or their current slump. Edmonton is on the final game of a seven-game road trip and has gone just 2-3-1 so far, with both wins coming in overtime.
But Edmonton still has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, their dynamic one-two forward punch that has combined for 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) in 23 games this season.
Plus the sting of the past two postseasons is still there for Edmonton. The Panthers beat them in seven games to win the Stanley Cup in 2024 and then did it again in six games last season to get the repeat.
So even though it’s just a regular-season contest, the stakes will still feel high.
“Both teams will have energy,” Maurice said. “It’s born out of respect, especially in the Final. Thirteen games of the most pressure-filled hockey either team has ever played. There’s just a great amount of respect for both teams. So you know you’ve got to be on, or you’re going to get beat.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 1:38 PM.
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