2024 Stanley Cup Finals facts for kids

The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2023–24 season and the culmination of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers defeated the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers four games to three in the best-of-seven series to earn their first championship in their thirtieth season. Florida became the first Stanley Cup winner since 1945 to win the title in seven games after taking a 3–0 series lead. The series began on June 8, and ended on June 24. The Panthers had home ice advantage in the series as the team with the better regular season record. This was the fifth consecutive Finals to feature a team from the state of Florida. This was the furthest distance between two cities in NHL history for the Finals with 4,089 kilometres (2,541 miles), breaking the previous record of 4,023 kilometres (2,500 miles) by the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins in 2011. This was the first Finals since 1945 to feature a team forcing a seventh game after being down 3–0.

Paths to the Finals

Edmonton Oilers

This was Edmonton's eighth Finals appearance. They have won the Stanley Cup five times, all of which came between 1984 and 1990 during their dynasty years. They lost their most recent Finals appearance in 2006, against the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.

During the offseason, the Oilers acquired forward Connor Brown and defenceman Ben Gleason via free agency. They also re-signed forward Mattias Janmark. The team started the season poorly, going 3–9–1 before firing head coach Jay Woodcroft and replacing him with Kris Knoblauch. The team rebounded greatly finishing with a 46–18–5 record under Knoblauch. Edmonton then signed free agent Corey Perry during the season, after Perry's existing contract with the Chicago Blackhawks was terminated for misconduct. Nearing the trade deadline, the team acquired centres Sam Carrick and Adam Henrique via a three-way trade; they also acquired defenceman Troy Stecher.

Captain Connor McDavid led the team in scoring with 132 points. 100 of those points were assists, making him the fourth NHL player to record at least 100 assists in a season, the most recent being Wayne Gretzky in 1990–91. Perry is making his fifth Finals appearance, previously winning with the Anaheim Ducks and losing with the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning; this makes him the first player to play in the Stanley Cup Finals for five different teams.

The Oilers finished the regular season with 104 points via a 49–27–6 record, which gave them second place in the Pacific Division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers defeated one of their rivals, the Los Angeles Kings, in five games. Edmonton then gained a seven-game victory against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round. They then defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the conference finals.

Florida Panthers

This was the second consecutive and third overall Finals appearance for the Panthers. They lost both previous Finals appearances, being swept in four games in 1996 by the Colorado Avalanche and losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

During the offseason, the Panthers signed defencemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov, forward Evan Rodrigues, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz in free agency. They also re-signed Eetu Luostarinen and traded for Steven Lorentz. At the trade deadline, the team acquired Vladimir Tarasenko, Magnus Hellberg, and Kyle Okposo. They also acquired Tobias Bjornfot via waivers. They also re-signed Gustav Forsling shortly before the trade deadline.

Sam Reinhart led the team in scoring with 57 goals and 94 points.

The Panthers finished first in the Atlantic Division with 110 points via a 52–24–6 record. In the first round, they defeated their intra-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in five games. In the second round, they won in six games against the Boston Bruins in a rematch from the previous season's first round. In the Eastern Conference final, they faced the New York Rangers, who had won the Presidents' Trophy by having the best regular season record, and defeated them in six games.

Game summaries

Numbers in parentheses indicate the player's total goals or assists in the 2024 playoffs up to that point. All times are in EDT (UTC−04:00.)

Game one

Sergei Bobrovsky (foreground) recorded a shutout in game one.

In game one, Florida took a 1–0 lead four minutes into the first period when Carter Verhaeghe received a pass from Aleksander Barkov, beating Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner with a wrist shot. Two minutes into the second period, Evan Rodrigues scored to make it 2–0 after receiving a centering pass from Sam Bennett. Late in the third period, Edmonton pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker, but with five seconds remaining, Eetu Luostarinen scored an empty net goal to make the final score 3–0. Edmonton recorded 32 shots on goal in the game against Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who saved them all in a shutout.

Game two

Evan Rodrigues (pictured with the Rochester Americans) scored two goals in game two.

During the first period of game two, Edmonton forward Warren Foegele kneed Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen, resulting in a match penalty as well as a game misconduct for Foegele. Luostarinen continued to play in the game. Whilst on the subsequent five-minute power play, defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was penalized for tripping, resulting in a four-on-four, during which an Oilers rush resulted in their first shot from Mattias Ekholm going past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for a 1–0 lead. In the second period, Niko Mikkola tied the game for the Panthers, taking a drop-pass from Anton Lundell and snapping a shot past Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner. In third period, Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues broke the tie, picking off a clearing attempt by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard to put the puck past Skinner for a 2–1 lead. With less than ten minutes in the game, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl was called for roughing and on the ensuing power play, Lundell passed to Rodrigues, who scored again to give the Panthers a 3–1 lead and end Edmonton's streak of 34 consecutive penalty kills. The Oilers then brought on an extra attacker, but Aaron Ekblad scored into the empty net for the Panthers, sealing a 4–1 victory for Florida.

Game three

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov recorded the game-winning goal and two points in game three.

In game three, the Panthers opened the scoring in the first period when captain Aleksander Barkov picked off Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, leading to a 3-on-2 rush in which Gustav Forsling shot towards the net and Sam Reinhart tipped the puck past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. In the second period, Oilers forward Adam Henrique passed to Warren Foegele, who scored on a breakaway to tie the game 1–1. The Panthers regained the lead after Anton Lundell shot the puck around the boards and Skinner attempted to play the puck, but Eetu Luostarinen sent the puck to an open Vladimir Tarasenko who wristed the puck into the net. Florida then made it 3–1, after Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk forced a turnover in the offensive zone, leading to a Tkachuk-assisted Bennett goal. Barkov shortly made it 4–1, snapping a shot past Skinner after receiving a pass from Evan Rodrigues. In the third period, Philip Broberg brought the deficit for the Oilers down to two when his snap shot went past Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Oilers then lowered the deficit to one goal when Brett Kulak's shot was deflected in by centre Ryan McLeod. However, the Panthers ultimately defended their one-goal lead en route to a 4–3 victory, taking a 3–0 series lead.

Game four

Oilers captain Connor McDavid recorded a goal and four points in game four, in the process breaking Wayne Gretzky's single-playoff assist record.

The Oilers began the scoring in the first period of game four while on the penalty kill, with forward Connor Brown passing to Mattias Janmark on a shorthanded rush for a goal. Edmonton then gained a two-goal lead when an offensive zone rush allowed Janmark to send the puck towards the net, with Adam Henrique tipping it in to make it 2–0. The Panthers got on the board with a goal from forward Vladimir Tarasenko, tipping in a shot from defenceman Gustav Forsling. With 5:12 left in the first period, the Oilers regained a two-goal lead when Leon Draisaitl passed to Dylan Holloway, who shot backhand on Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for a 3–1 lead. In the second period, Oilers captain Connor McDavid made it 4–1, snapping a shot past Bobrovsky. The Oilers then made it 5–1 when McDavid dropped a pass to defenceman Darnell Nurse, who shot it past Bobrovsky, leading to Panthers backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz entering the game. The Oilers were then given a 5-on-3 power play, during which Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored to make the score 6–1. In the third period, the Oilers continued their rout, with both Holloway and Ryan McLeod scoring to push the score to 8–1, forcing a fifth game and avoiding becoming the first team since 1998 to be swept in the Stanley Cup Finals. With an assist on the Holloway goal, Connor McDavid set the single season playoff record for most assists in one playoff year, breaking the record previously held by Wayne Gretzky in 1988.

Game five

Evan Bouchard (pictured with the Bakersfield Condors) recorded three assists in game 5.

In game five, Connor Brown scored the initial goal for the Oilers in the first period, with his backhand shot beating goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for a shorthanded goal. In the second period, the Oilers gained a two-goal lead when Zach Hyman scored on the power play. Three minutes later, Oilers forward Warren Foegele passed to captain Connor McDavid, whose wrist shot beat Bobrovsky for a 3–0 lead. The Panthers got on the board less than two minutes later when forward Evan Rodrigues passed to Matthew Tkachuk, who scored to cut the deficit to two goals. Following a slashing penalty by Rodrigues, the Oilers regained a three-goal lead when McDavid passed to Corey Perry, who scored his first goal of the playoffs. Fourteen seconds later, the Panthers brought the deficit back to two goals when Brandon Montour passed to Rodrigues, who scored to make it 4–2. In the third period, Florida defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson brought the score to 4–3, snapping the puck past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner. In the final 30 seconds, and with an extra attacker out for Florida, the Oilers cleared the puck towards the empty net, but Tkachuk dove to sweep the puck away. However, McDavid recovered the puck and scored into the empty net to give Edmonton a 5–3 victory, forcing a sixth game. Edmonton became the first team since the 2011–12 New Jersey Devils and the fourth overall to force a sixth game after being down 3–0.

Game six

Warren Foegele scored the game-opening goal and an assist in game six.

The Oilers began the scoring in the first period of game six, with centre Leon Draisaitl passing to right wing Warren Foegele who snapped the puck past Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Florida was limited to only two shots in the first period. In the second period, Mattias Ekholm sent a stretch pass to Mattias Janmark, who then passed to Adam Henrique; Henrique subsequently beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot for a 2–0 Oilers lead. Ten seconds later, the Panthers had a goal by Aleksander Barkov disallowed when replay showed Sam Reinhart was offside on the play. Zach Hyman then made it 3–0 for Edmonton when he scored backhand on a breakaway chance. The Panthers were able to get on the board in the third period when Barkov dangled the puck around goaltender Stuart Skinner. The Oilers held off the Panthers for the remainder of the game, with Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse each scoring an empty net goal for a 5–1 victory. Edmonton became the tenth NHL team to force a seventh game after trailing 3–0 in the series, the third team to do so in the Finals, and the first in the Finals since the Detroit Red Wings did so in 1945.

Game seven

Sam Reinhart (pictured with the Buffalo Sabres) scored the Cup-winning goal in game seven.

In game seven, the Panthers began the scoring when forward Evan Rodrigues shot towards the goal, with Carter Verhaeghe deflecting the puck past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. Oilers forward Mattias Janmark then tied the game, scoring on the breakaway after receiving a stretch pass from defenceman Cody Ceci. In the second period, Verhaeghe passed the puck to forward Sam Reinhart, who fired a wrist a shot past Skinner for a 2–1 lead. The Panthers defended their lead into the third period, with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopping the remaining nine shots to win their first Stanley Cup.

Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs, becoming the first player since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 (and sixth overall) to win the Conn Smythe as part of the losing team, and joining Reggie Leach in 1975 as the only skaters to do so.

Team rosters

Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid captained the Oilers to their eighth Finals appearance and first since 2006.

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
2		Bouchard, EvanEvan Bouchard	D	R	24–21424	2018	Oakville, Ontario	first
86		Broberg, PhilipPhilip Broberg	D	L	22–32222	2019	Orebro, Sweden	first
28		Brown, ConnorConnor Brown	RW	R	30–21230	2023	Etobicoke, Ontario	first
39		Carrick, SamSam Carrick	C	R	32–32032	2024	Markham, Ontario	first
5		Ceci, CodyCody Ceci	D	R	30–10630	2021	Ottawa, Ontario	first
73		Desharnais, VincentVincent Desharnais	D	R	28–22128	2016	Laval, Quebec	first
29		Draisaitl, LeonLeon Draisaitl – A	C	L	28–34928	2014	Cologne, Germany	first
14		Ekholm, MattiasMattias Ekholm	D	L	34–20434	2023	Borlange, Sweden	second (2017)
37		Foegele, WarrenWarren Foegele	LW	L	28–19228	2021	Markham, Ontario	first
19		Henrique, AdamAdam Henrique	C	L	34–05034	2024	Brantford, Ontario	second (2012)
55		Holloway, DylanDylan Holloway	LW	L	22–20822	2020	Calgary, Alberta	first
18		Hyman, ZachZach Hyman	LW	R	31–27831	2021	Toronto, Ontario	first
13		Janmark, MattiasMattias Janmark	D	L	31–03631	2022	Danderyd, Sweden	second (2020)
91		Kane, EvanderEvander Kane	LW	L	32–03432	2022	Vancouver, British Columbia	first
27		Kulak, BrettBrett Kulak	D	L	30–04730	2022	Stony Plain, Alberta	second (2021)
97		McDavid, ConnorConnor McDavid – C	C	L	27–11227	2015	Richmond Hill, Ontario	first
71		McLeod, RyanRyan McLeod	C	L	24–21224	2018	Mississauga, Ontario	first
93		Nugent-Hopkins, RyanRyan Nugent-Hopkins – A	C	L	31–20531	2011	Burnaby, British Columbia	first
25		Nurse, DarnellDarnell Nurse – A	D	L	29–18429	2013	Hamilton, Ontario	first
90		Perry, CoreyCorey Perry	RW	R	39–18239	2024	Peterborough, Ontario	fifth (2007, 2020, 2021, 2022)
30		Pickard, CalvinCalvin Pickard	G	L	32–13232	2022	Moncton, New Brunswick	first
10		Ryan, DerekDerek Ryan	C	R	37–20137	2021	Spokane, Washington	first
74		Skinner, StuartStuart Skinner	G	L	25–31025	2017	Edmonton, Alberta	first

Florida Panthers

Aleksander Barkov captained the Panthers to their second consecutive and third overall Finals appearance.

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
16		Barkov, AleksanderAleksander Barkov – C	C	L	28–21428	2013	Tampere, Finland	second (2023)
9		Bennett, SamSam Bennett	C	L	27–32227	2021	East Gwillimbury, Ontario	second (2023)
72		Bobrovsky, SergeiSergei Bobrovsky	G	L	35–21235	2019	Novokuznetsk, Soviet Union	second (2023)
21		Cousins, NickNick Cousins	C	L	30–32030	2022	Belleville, Ontario	second (2023)
5		Ekblad, AaronAaron Ekblad – A	D	R	28–10628	2014	Windsor, Ontario	second (2023)
91		Ekman-Larsson, OliverOliver Ekman-Larsson	D	L	32–22132	2023	Karlskrona, Sweden	first
42		Forsling, GustavGustav Forsling	D	L	27–34927	2021	Linköping, Sweden	second (2023)
7		Kulikov, DmitryDmitry Kulikov	D	L	33–20433	2023	Lipetsk, Soviet Union	first
94		Lomberg, RyanRyan Lomberg	LW	L	29–19229	2020	Richmond Hill, Ontario	second (2023)
18		Lorentz, StevenSteven Lorentz	C	L	28–05028	2023	Kitchener, Ontario	first
15		Lundell, AntonAnton Lundell	C	L	22–20822	2020	Espoo, Finland	second (2023)
27		Luostarinen, EetuEetu Luostarinen	C	L	25–27825	2020	Siilinjärvi, Finland	second (2023)
77		Mikkola, NikoNiko Mikkola	D	L	28–03628	2023	Kiiminki, Finland	first
62		Montour, BrandonBrandon Montour	D	R	30–03430	2021	Ohsweken, Ontario	second (2023)
8		Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo	RW	R	36–04736	2024	Saint Paul, Minnesota	first
13		Reinhart, SamSam Reinhart	C	R	28–11228	2021	North Vancouver, British Columbia	second (2023)
17		Rodrigues, EvanEvan Rodrigues	C	R	30–21230	2023	Etobicoke, Ontario	first
82		Stenlund, KevinKevin Stenlund	C	R	27–20527	2023	Stockholm, Sweden	first
41		Stolarz, AnthonyAnthony Stolarz	G	L	30–18430	2023	Edison, New Jersey	first
10		Tarasenko, VladimirVladimir Tarasenko	RW	R	32–18232	2024	Yaroslavl, Soviet Union	second (2019)
19		Tkachuk, MatthewMatthew Tkachuk – A	LW	L	26–13226	2022	Scottsdale, Arizona	second (2023)
23		Verhaeghe, CarterCarter Verhaeghe	C	L	28–20128	2020	Waterdown, Ontario	third (2020, 2023)