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  With the Stanley Cup on the line, the NHL's championship series is set to get underway. We're breaking down the matchup and revealing our projection model's pick. It was so good, why not do it again? For the first time since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins split a pair of titles in 2008 and 2009, there will be a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final when it gets underway Wednesday in Edmonton. And here's to hoping it's as thrilling as the first meeting when the Florida Panthers took a 3-0 series lead before the Oilers came storming back to take the next three and force a Game 7. But the Panthers avoided becoming the second team in NHL history – and the first since the 1942 Detroit Red Wings – to drop four straight after taking a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Now here we are again. Road to the Final The Panthers, who claimed the Eastern Conference title with a five-game series win over the Carolina Hurricanes, make their third straight Final ap...

  April 19, 2025 Hold your breath – the most-watched hockey event of the year is finally here! The 2025 NHL playoffs kick off on Saturday, offering fans worldwide two months of intense battles, unexpected twists, and hockey magic at the highest level. From the opening face-off to the final siren – every game, every shift, and every goal counts. "The regular season and playoffs are two completely different worlds," says Connor Bedard, the star forward of the defending champions Florida Panthers. "In the playoffs, you must be prepared for absolute self-sacrifice. Every blocked shot, every board battle, every second on the ice decides whether you advance or your season ends." The Panthers enter the elimination rounds as the defending champions. The Florida team, led by captain Aleksander Barkov and last year's first overall draft pick Connor Bedard, will want to prove that last year's triumph was no fluke. Their journey to the Stanley Cup in 2024 wrote one ...