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The NHL’s Reverse Retro jerseys were a sensation two years ago, creating significant sales and conversation among hockey fans. Adidas felt the pressure of creating a sequel to that blockbuster with its 2022-23 season retro sweaters.

“How many amazing remix combinations are out there?” said Dan Near, senior director at Adidas hockey. “We spent a lot of time debating about whether the franchise should evolve into something else or is this a sequel. We went with the latter.”

As with any sequel, there are a few differences from the original. The 32 new Reverse Retro jerseys feature more white sweaters than the 2020 collection. Please recall that because of the COVID pandemic, the 2020-21 season was played without interdivisional games. Now, Adidas hopes to see more retro vs. retro games, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres game on Nov. 2.

This line also features more embroidered and raised elements on the team logos, which is something that arrived when Adidas started making jerseys with 50% recycled materials.

Another big difference was the level of anticipation. Near said that Adidas is aware of all the speculation, mock-ups and social media scuttlebutt about this collection of jerseys.

“We’re excited about the speculation. I think if you look back at the first time we launched in 2020, it came out of nowhere. Nobody knew what it was,” Near said. “We didn’t announce it was coming back this time, but people seemed to know it was coming. The rampant speculation and energy is making this unique and exciting. We track it. We see what people are saying. Sometimes they’re right on the mark. Other times they’re on a completely different planet. Nothing is official until it’s official.”

But it wasn’t just the fans anticipating the next wave of Reverse Retro jerseys. The NHL teams were as well.

“There was plenty of meat on the bone to do this again,” Near said. “What made it unique the second time around is that you have the teams thinking ‘I want to win Reverse Retro.'”

Which ones were victorious? Here is our ranking of the 32 NHL Reverse Retro jerseys for the 2022-23 season. Keep in mind that we based this just on the jerseys themselves — some really cool elements will be revealed with the full uniform kits, but they didn’t factor in here.

What a concept: It’s only taken nearly 30 years, but a team that plays in South Florida finally has a jersey that’s evocative of South Florida.

This is a mix of the team’s stick-and-palm secondary logo that’s been with it since the 1990s and the light blue from the third jerseys it rocked in 2009. The rays of the sun are slightly raised to give the crest a 3D quality. The colors on the stripes pay homage to the Panthers’ current primary colors. The rest feels like you’re staring at a frozen blue Hawaiian through a pair of expensive sunglasses.

Sure, seeing the alternate logo makes one realize how close that hockey stick looks to a golf putter … but that’s also kind of thematic to the franchise, if we’re being honest.

It was inevitable that the Sharks eventually would honor their Bay Area ancestors with a Reverse Retro jersey. The California Golden Seals’ greatest legacy might be their aesthetics, including a turn to teal 17 years before the Sharks swam into the NHL.

These are essentially the Seals’ 1974 home jerseys with “Sharks” written on them instead, and they’re sublime: a little California love, a little Jackie Moon. That Seals team won 19 games. Given what we’ve seen from San Jose this season, perhaps it’s just dressing the part.

The Youppi! of Reverse Retro jerseys.

Montreal claims this is meant to honor its 1979 look, when it won its fourth Stanley Cup in a row. Adidas claims the light blue is “inspired by the city of Montreal colors.” But for the love of Tim Raines and Larry Walker, we know what’s up with these sweaters: It’s the Habs as the Montreal Expos, and we salute them like Andrés Galarraga admiring a home run.

The most remarkable thing about this Reverse Retro Kings jersey, which honors the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Manchester,” is that one swears that it has previously existed. But the crown logo in the 1980s was on either a gold or “Forum Blue” jersey.

This is the first time the iconic sweater has been executed in white, and it looks awesome. Bonus points for creating raised gems on the crown for a 3D look.

The Avalanche topped the 2020 rankings with their ode to the Quebec Nordiques. This year’s model could be seen as an homage to the NHL’s Colorado Rockies, but their logo inspiration was the same as this Retro jersey: the Colorado state flag.

Nothing is going to top the remixed Nords sweater. But this looks clean and sharp, and like other Avalanche alternate logos is an improvement over their primary one.

The Golden Knights had a Reverse Retro jersey last year inspired by the now-defunct Wranglers minor league franchise. This time, they’re inspired by a team that doesn’t exist.

This sweater “imagines what a Golden Knights third jersey might have looked like in 1995.” The font and numbering are inspired by vintage hotel signage on the Strip. Oh, and just to make sure you get the full Vegas ostentatiousness: There are hidden glow-in-the-dark stars incorporated in the crest that can be seen in the dark and under a black light.

“When you think about the glitz and glamour of Vegas, it requires a little ingenuity,” Near said.

The Blues chose poorly last season, resurrecting a nauseating jersey design and inexplicably making red the primary color. This time, they understood the assignment.

The Blues’ Reverse Retro is based on a 1966 prototype worn by the team’s ownership a year before the expansion franchise actually hit the ice, which is like giving an Oscar to a teaser trailer. Despite being their second most prominent color, this is the first primarily gold jersey the Blues have worn. It incorporates the light blue seen on their Winter Classic jerseys.

Sound the trumpets: These rule.

This is the most “meta” Reverse Retro jersey in the collection.

In 2020, the Coyotes honored their much-maligned 1998 thirds, which magnified the head of the “kachina jersey” logo, made green the primary color and ceded the waistline to “a painfully obvious desert landscape complete with cacti,” as the Five For Howling blog noted. Their first Reverse Retro jersey swapped the green for purple from the team’s crescent moon alternate logo, and it was one of the best of the lot.

Now they’ve gone Reverse Retro on their Reverse Retro, swapping out the green for sienna, marking “the first time this trending earth tone color has been worn by any NHL team,” according to Adidas. The million-dollar question: Are these supposed to abstractly evoke Arizona State athletics colors or is that simply coincidental?

The Pooh bear has returned!

The Bruins wore this logo 1995-2006 on a third sweater. The blog Stanley Cup of Chowder called it “the greatest jersey in Bruins history.” The Pooh bear was originally featured on a gold jersey. This time it’s a white background, all the better to see the kind eyes, parted hair and Marchand-esque smirk on the bear’s fuzzy mug. Put one on and snuggle up with a pot of honey.

I once asked comics artist Todd McFarlane about creating this logo, which Edmonton used as a third jersey from 2001 through 2007.

“What’s the design I could do that could pay homage to the Oilers but also just be cool to look at?” he pondered. “Selling it to someone in Edmonton is preaching to the choir. How do I sell it to someone in Miami?”

We’re not sure how it played in Florida, but its initial run in Edmonton wasn’t unanimously beloved. But this version might be an improvement.

His “dynamic gear surrounding an oil drop” logo has been enhanced by being raised in some areas and with that splash of orange in the middle. Each spoke represents a different Oilers Stanley Cup championship, and sadly that hasn’t needed to be edited since it debuted in 2001.

The Islanders have slowly reclaimed the ill-fated legacy of the “Fishsticks” logo that reigned 1995-97, selling gear with that logo and color scheme in their official store in recent years.

For the team’s 50th anniversary, Adidas has added “the most requested uniform” for its Reverse Retro series.

Here’s the thing: The slight modifications they’ve made to the logo — like the Tron-esque orange highlights and the current color scheme — tone down the kitsch and the charm. One could argue the original Fishsticks jersey’s Aquafresh palette and queasy waves are more in keeping with the Reverse Retro aesthetic.

There’s an interesting separation between Canucks fans and outsiders when it comes to this Reverse Retro jersey. It’s inspired by their Western Hockey League look that featured Johnny Canuck, only this one has raised embroidered gloves and suspenders.

But the Canucks Army blog notes that Vancouver fans (A) feel this look is too close to that of the Abbotsford Canucks, who also use Johnny Canuck, and (B) were hoping for a less predictable experiment, like “a green and blue edition of the Flying Vee or Flying Skate jerseys.”

In 1995, the Capitals went from red, white and blue to blue, black and bronze. They had a black third jersey for 10 years during that fad, with the Capitol dome logo seen on the shoulders of this Reverse Retro jersey.

Now they’ve turned the “Screaming Eagle” into another black alternate sweater, with some really nice tweaks to the formula. This jersey features metallic copper and “Capital Blue,” giving the whole thing a sleeker look.

You can’t improve on perfection, which is why the Red Wings’ first Reverse Retro attempt looked like a practice version of their iconic sweater. But give the Red Wings credit for taking a swing with version 2.0.

An homage to their 1991 NHL 75th anniversary jerseys, which were red and white, this bold red and black look is accented by a DETROIT wordmark inspired by the 1920s Detroit Cougars. For a young team developing its swagger, we’ll allow it.

This Ducks jersey is cool. It’s clean looking. It’s got the proper logo on the front. They’re going to slap “ZEGRAS” on the back of these and move racks of them.

But after much debate inside the ESPN fashion offices, we came to a consensus: If Anaheim is dipping back to the inaugural Mighty Ducks season and its Reverse Retro doesn’t have even a hint of jade or eggplant, then what is it even doing this for?

The Rangers finished No. 2 on the 2020 rankings by simply bringing back to the Liberty Head logo for the first time since around 2007. They went back to that well for this Reverse Retro jersey, slapping it on a royal blue jersey with red sleeves.

The whole thing honestly feels like one of those sweatshirts that costs $50 more than it should and hangs untouched with its friends in some distant corner of the NHL Store.

ROBO PENGUIN! Memories of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Petr Nedved come rushing back as we celebrate the majesty of this flightless fowl.

But we had to assess some demerits for what could have been: This is the Penguins’ 1992-93 jersey flipped from white to black, leaving out some of the more audacious Robo Penguin gradient designs from the latter part of the decade. It’s a jersey that thinks the 1990s stopped with grunge, when “Bills, Bills, Bills” actually dropped in 1999.

The most interesting aspect of this Stars jersey, which is an homage to their inaugural season look back in 1993-94, is the dimensional embroidery on the crest to give the star a 3D quality.

Otherwise, the current “victory green” color integrated with this classic design makes for a fine-looking sweater. But we’re now two Reverse Retro jerseys deep and the “Mooterus” has yet to return, so we really can’t go any higher than this for Dallas.

The Jets’ first Reverse Retro jersey was one of our favorites, but this one isn’t nearly as bold.

Winnipeg remixed the Jets 1.0 jersey from 1990 with the team’s current color palette, minus the red. A great sweater for Teemu Selanne completists but one that doesn’t come close to the streetwear grandeur of the previous Retro hit.

More debate inside the ESPN fashion offices on this one.

The Devils pay tribute to the Colorado Rockies 40 years after the team relocated from Denver to East Rutherford. It’s certainly a fun look, with the Rockies’ gold, red and navy accenting the jersey. But we’re a little disappointed that the color scheme carries through to the logo only via a blue circle around the “NJ,” when this could have been a fun opportunity to play around with that logo.

As it stands, this sorta looks like when a pro shop irons the right crest on the wrong jersey.

“Say, kids, did you like the Minnesota North Stars-influenced Reverse Retro jersey? What if we told you that it’s now available in … green?”

Seriously, no points for creativity, but these remain pretty dope.

Inspired by Chicago’s 1938 uniforms and the team’s 2019 Winter Classic gear, this Blackhawks jersey had the unfortunate timing of being immediately market-corrected by a similar — but much better executed — Red Wings Reverse Retro.

Sorry, but this just doesn’t work. The “goat head” logo loses its magic when stripped away from the red, black and silver color scheme that evoked images of Dominik Hasek saves and Miroslav Satan goals.

Outside of the nostalgic kick of having this logo back on a Buffalo sweater, applying the traditional Sabres colors to it feels slightly blasphemous.

What’s a nostalgic Kraken jersey? A Mark Giordano sweater?

Obviously lacking history, Seattle just decided to make a sea green jersey that makes it look like they’re wearing a cummerbund under their own logo. It’s not a bad looking sweater. It’s just not as audacious as one might expect from a team nicknamed after a mythical sea creature. It’s a Reverse Retro with real “Why don’t we make our mascot a troll doll?” energy.

Missed opportunity here. There was speculation that the Predators were going to put their 2001 third jersey logo on a navy jersey, which would have properly remixed their mustard stain sweater with a currently used color.

Alas, they went with gold, making this jersey practically redundant with their current ones.

It’s their current away jersey remixed into a red sweater, with two sets of hurricane warning flags on the shoulders.

Your mileage here is entirely dependent on how you feel about nicknames on jerseys instead of full nicknames.

Adidas says this is a remix of the jersey the Senators wore during their 2006-07 Stanley Cup Final run with “the current Ottawa color scheme and breakouts.”

Sure. It’s very much an Ottawa Senators jersey. But we’ll wait and see the full kit, as Adidas notes these Ottawa jerseys will be “presented in a powerful black head-to-toe visual including the helmet, pant and sock” complemented by “a thick super-sized player name and number system.”

The Blue Jackets got a little funky last time with a primary red jersey that sported their original logo. This is the first black jersey the Jackets will have worn, with blue sleeve accents that evoke their current third sweaters.

These FrankenJerseys are on the borderline of looking like a stitching accident, but in the end we like our jerseys like we like our steaks: black and blue. But maybe not as cold.

Toronto is honoring its 1962 Stanley Cup championship, remixing a primary white jersey into a primary blue jersey with white shoulder pads.

A blue Maple Leafs jersey. Wild stuff. Save us, Justin Bieber.

Have you ever seen a movie where one bad performance ruins the whole thing? The Flames have a cool black jersey, with an iconic logo and an eye-catching color scheme.

They also decided to bring back the truly bizarre “diagonal pedestal hem stripe” from their mid-1990s sweaters.

It just ruins the whole thing and makes it look as if the Flames are wearing an achievement belt from a strip mall taekwondo academy.

“I don’t want my guys looking like a [expletive] crayon box. I don’t want them wearing a bunch of whozies and whatsits. Just make a Flyers jersey. Who cares?” — John Tortorella, maybe.

Nostalgia can be comforting. Nostalgia can be inspiring. But nostalgia can also cloud one’s judgement on what should or should not be mined from the past for the benefit of the present.

To that end: These Lightning jerseys should have remained buried under whatever landfill in which they were decomposing. Tampa Bay wore these jerseys 1996-99, during a time when the NHL had its share of ghastly third jerseys. They had storm waves across the waist; lightning bolts on the sleeves; and, in perhaps the single worst aesthetic touch for an NHL jersey in the past 30 years, “bold rain” flecked across the front of the sweater that looked as if it was taken straight from an 8-bit video game.

Whatever Lightning player feigns excitement the most for these monstrosities should win the Lady Byng, full stop.

Dan Near of Adidas offers a brief rebuttal about this jersey: “There were some jerseys from that era that we presented and the teams weren’t excited about. There were others that the teams embraced right away. This isn’t a permanent choice. This is a celebration of a moment in time and the nostalgia about a team. Maybe we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously and bring something back that might have been polarizing but that in today’s day and age is very trend-right. I give a lot of acclaim to the Lightning for making a risk well worth taking.”

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Stanley Cup Final preview: Everything you need to know for Panthers-Oilers II

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Stanley Cup Final preview: Everything you need to know for Panthers-Oilers II

The Stanley Cup playoffs is one of the most grueling postseason tournaments in sports. So it’s no wonder that a team appearing in the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years is something of a rarity. It’s rarer still that both teams meet up again in consecutive Cup Finals.

But that’s exactly what happened in 2025. Following a thrilling, seven-game series in 2024 in which the Florida Panthers went up 3-0, lost the next three to the Edmonton Oilers and won Game 7 for the franchise’s first Cup, the two teams are back at it again starting with Game 1 on Wednesday.

How are the teams different than the 2024 editions? How confident should each team be in its goaltender right now? And what are the X factors and big questions for each club heading into the rematch?

Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton reveal the tale of the tape before this heavyweight sequel.

More: Full schedule
Conn Smythe Watch
Key stats, matchups
ESPN experts’ picks
Series betting intel

How are these teams better than last season’s versions?

Oilers

Edmonton appears to be more ruthless — likely because of what happened last postseason against Florida in the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers nearly pulled off one of the the greatest comebacks in NHL history, only to lose Game 7 after falling into a three-game deficit to start the series.

This postseason has seen them master the comeback, while also sensing how to stop an opponent from doing the same. They lost the first two games of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings before winning four straight. They opened Game 1 of the second-round series versus the Vegas Golden Knights by giving up the first two goals before setting a Stanley Cup playoff record with their fifth consecutive comeback victory. Even with the Golden Knights grabbing a last-second goal to win Game 3, the Oilers shut them out for the final two games of the series.

That trend continued when they played the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals. The Stars scored six straight goals to take Game 1, only for the Oilers to give up five goals total over the next four games to advance to the Cup Final. — Clark

Panthers

Florida had good depth a season ago. The Panthers have great depth this time around.

They’ve had 19 different players light the lamp this postseason compared to 15 in the 2024 playoffs. Florida is also averaging more goals (3.88 per game) and giving up fewer scores (2.29) than before, while their power play has been markedly more productive (23.2% vs. 18.5%) and their penalty kill (87.9%) is the best in the playoffs.

The Panthers’ collective buy-in on defense has been noticeable. They’ve given up fewer shots this go-around and have been able to shut down some of the league’s hottest offensive teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning led the NHL in regular-season scoring but managed just 12 goals in five games during their first-round series against Florida. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky‘s numbers are stronger now than a season ago (more on him later).

GM Bill Zito made key additions to the Panthers’ roster in Brad Marchand, who has been a sensational third-line asset, and Seth Jones, a productive force on the back end. Florida found the right mix of physicality and skill that has made it a terror for every opponent so far. — Shilton

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2:25

Matthew Tkachuk hypes Stanley Cup Final rematch: ‘We’re the two best’

Matthew Tkachuk joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss why a rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers is “an incredible final.”


How are these teams worse than last season’s versions?

Oilers

The Oilers had a penalty kill that was one of the best in league history but now struggles at times. Part of their run to the Cup Final last season was due to a penalty kill that had a 94.3% success rate. The Oilers are back in the Final again, with the reality that their short-handed performances have succeeding just 66% of the time, which ranks as the third-worst rate this postseason.

So what’s different? Namely, it’s their personnel. Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Ryan McLeod were integral players who were also in the top eight of short-handed minutes for the Oilers last postseason. All three played elsewhere this season.

Then there’s the circumstances around Mattias Ekholm. He led the Oilers with 68:49 in short-handed ice time last postseason, and it was more than 12 minutes ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was second. The good news for Edmonton? Ekholm returned to the team in Game 5 against the Stars after missing the entirety of the playoffs to that point recovering from an undisclosed injury. — Clark

Panthers

Frankly, it’s tough nitpicking the Panthers. But there have been some lapses when Florida looked less than championship-worthy.

The early games in the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs showed Florida’s vulnerabilities defending off the rush against top-flight talents. That issue resurfaced in Games 4 and 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes when Florida looked more flat-footed and turnover prone against faster forwards.

That’s an area the Panthers didn’t struggle with as much last season — Florida is averaging more giveaways per 60 minutes this postseason (12.23) compared to a season ago (9.67), and Edmonton is capable of forcing errors with their speed and skill. Puck management — and protection — will be paramount for the Panthers. — Shilton

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1:21

Leon Draisaitl excited to have another chance to win Stanley Cup

Leon Draisaitl breaks down what he’s looking forward to in the Oilers’ matchup vs. the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.


Goaltender Confidence Ratings

Oilers: 8.5/10

May 10 is the day everything changed for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner. That’s the day Kris Knoblauch returned to Skinner for Game 3 against the Golden Knights.

Knoblauch had benched Skinner after he allowed 12 goals in the first two games of the previous series against the Kings, which led to Calvin Pickard taking over. Pickard, however, sustained an injury in Game 2 against the Golden Knights, which led to Skinner’s return for Game 3.

In the time since Skinner’s reentry, he has become one of the Oilers’ most important players. Skinner shut out the Golden Knights for the final two games and also had a shutout against the Stars in the conference finals.

Getting a pair of shutouts answered some questions. There were still concerns about whether the Oilers could win if Skinner wasn’t perfect and didn’t record a shutout. He answered those questions by posting a .920 save percentage over the final three games of the conference finals to slam the door shut on Dallas. — Clark

Panthers: 9/10

Bobrovsky has levelled up in every series Florida has played this postseason — and his most recent numbers are increasingly absurd.

Through five games against Tampa Bay in the first round and the first three games against Toronto in the second round, Bobrovsky was 5-3, with an .875 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average. Average stuff. Something clicked in the second round, and Playoff Bob went bonkers; in Games 4-7 against the Leafs and the entire Eastern Conference finals, Bobrovsky went 7-2, with a .944 SV% and 1.34 goals against average. Oh, and he had two shutouts in that stretch.

Bobrovsky’s “worst” performance in the past two weeks was Game 5 against Carolina, when he gave up three goals on 20 shots, the most markers he has allowed since Game 3 against Toronto.

Bobrovsky has proven his mettle time and again. He has experienced success and failure on a Cup Final run (remember he was pulled from Game 4 last year, a brutal 8-1 Panthers loss). Bobrovsky is a veteran netminder at the top of his game and will try to get the better of Skinner again in this year’s goaltending matchup. — Shilton


X factors for the Cup Final

Oilers

How will they manage without Zach Hyman for a whole series? Hyman led the Oilers with 16 goals last postseason. He has contributed in a different way this season, in that he has been their most physical player. Hyman was leading the NHL this postseason with 111 hits and added another dimension to what was an already layered team.

The injury he sustained in Game 4 against Dallas means he’ll miss the remainder of the playoffs. It’s a loss that created concerns such as: Who fills that physical void? Who fills in on the top six? Who takes his spot on the power play?

In their first game without Hyman, the Oilers once again relied on their depth to fill that absence. They had five forwards finish with more than five hits, while two of those skaters — Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen — scored in the series-clinching Game 5. But that’s not to say Hyman was the only Oilers skater who has a physical edge to their game. Entering the Game 1 of the Final, the Oilers have five players who are in the top 25 in hits this postseason. — Clark

Panthers

How will Florida’s stars stack up against Edmonton’s? The Panthers, as noted above, have 19 goal scorers this postseason. So do the Oilers. There’s depth to spare on both sides of this one.

But, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are first and second in playoff scoring (with 26 and 25 points, respectively). The Panthers’ top two point getters are Aleksander Barkov (with 17) and Sam Bennett (16). And Bennett is also Florida’s goal-scoring leader with 10; he’s the only Panther with a double-digit total.

Florida needs Barkov, Bennett, Sam Reinhart (four goals and 13 points), Carter Verhaeghe (six goals and 14 points) and Matthew Tkachuk (five goals and 16 points) all rolling from the outset in this series. The Oilers are opportunistic, explosive and just as dangerous five-on-five as on the power play. How Florida counters to not only hold Edmonton’s stars at bay but consistently activate its own could be the deciding factor in this matchup. — Shilton

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0:37

Fortenbaugh’s best bet for Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup rematch

Joe Fortenbaugh explains why he’s taking the Panthers to repeat as champions against the Oilers.


Big questions before Game 1

The Oilers have made major adjustments throughout the playoffs, such as the ones that helped them rally from an 0-2 series hole against the Kings. Or the adjustments made when they silenced the Golden Knights, who were in the top five in goals per game in the regular season, over the final two games of the series. Plus the way they went from giving up six goals to the Stars in Game 1 of the conference finals to allowing only five goals combined for the final four games of the series.

There’s how they managed to find defensive continuity without Ekholm. There’s the way they went from Skinner to Pickard and back to Skinner to return to the Cup Final — where they’ll be missing Hyman.

Will those adjustments be the difference between a repeat of last season’s defeat and winning it all for the first time since 1990? — Clark

How will penalties influence this series?

Florida toes the line — without going over it — better than any team in the league. The Panthers also spend a significant amount of time in the box. Can the Panthers find the right balance between the two here, knowing the Oilers have a dominant power play that just scored six goals on the man advantage — at least one per game — in the Western Conference finals against Dallas?

Florida is the most penalized team in the playoff field (by a wide margin), and that’s just part and parcel for a physically focused team that’s also averaging the most hits (47.05 per game) in the postseason. Florida has also drawn more penalties than any team.

It’s an intriguing dynamic that could go one of two ways for the Panthers. Will they frustrate the Oilers while staying on the right side of the officials? Or will Edmonton’s dynamism force the Panthers into overstepping their boundaries?

Special teams suddenly loom large. Edmonton has the power-play edge, while Florida has the penalty-killing prowess. The back-and-forth and potential for gamesmanship will be fascinating. — Shilton


Game 1 best bets

Anton Lundell over 0.5 total assists (+210): Historically, the Oilers have preferred Connor McDavid’s line versus Matthew Tkachuk’s when they control last change, which they will to start the series in Edmonton. The Panthers, meanwhile, lean on Aleksander Barkov to check McDavid when they have that advantage. All that top-line jockeying leaves Edmonton with fewer options to contain the trio of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen. That line has been dominant at 5-on-5, with 10 goals scored and just two allowed this postseason.

Vasily Podkolzin over 4.5 total hits (+115): The Oilers have been much more physical in this year’s run, likely a lesson learned after falling to the punishing Panthers last spring. In limited minutes (10:53 per game), Podkolzin has delivered 74 hits over 16 games, and is averaging 5.0 per night at home. He’s a good bet to keep that pace.

Eetu Luostarinen over 0.5 total goals (+650): If you are looking for a longer shot to fuel the payout on a same-game parlay, taking Luostarinen for a goal is a fair gamble. He has the second-most 5-on-5 goals for the Panthers this postseason (four) and second-most high-danger scoring chances (17, per NaturalStatTrick), but has much longer odds than the Panthers leading those respective categories (Lundell at +360 and Carter Verhaeghe at +230). — Sean Allen

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Cora irked as BoSox fall again: ‘Not getting better’

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Cora irked as BoSox fall again: 'Not getting better'

BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora had been proclaiming recently that he didn’t think his team was far from putting good baseball together following a dismal stretch of games.

Those days of optimism appear to be dwindling after Boston’s latest setback.

The Red Sox lost their 17th one-run game of the season on Tuesday, this time falling 4-3 to the Los Angeles Angels in 10 innings filled with missed opportunities, poor defensive execution and another inconsistent night from the bullpen. It was Boston’s eighth loss in 10 games. The Red Sox are now 9-10-1 in series play, including 4-5-1 at Fenway Park.

“We keep making the same mistakes. We’re not getting better,” Cora said after the game. “At one point, it has to be on me, I guess. I’m the manager. I’ve got to keep pushing them to be better. They’re not getting better. They’re not. We keep making the same mistakes. I’ll be honest about it and very open about it.”

Tuesday’s defeat came a night after Boston also lost by a run to an Angels team that had dropped seven of eight games and three consecutive series.

But the contest started out with some promise.

Starter Brayan Bello pitched a scoreless first to snap a four-game streak of Boston pitchers allowing at least one run in the opening inning.

But the Angels took a 3-0 lead in the third inning via an RBI single by Zach Neto and a two-run single by Nolan Schanuel.

Boston got one run back during its half of the inning but failed to further close the gap despite having runners on second and third base with no outs.

The Red Sox outhit the Angels for the second straight game but also committed three fielding errors.

“You get frustrated, but at one point, OK, what are you going to do? What’s going to change? We keep doing the same thing,” Cora said.

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McCullers outduels Skenes for 1st win since ’22

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McCullers outduels Skenes for 1st win since '22

PITTSBURGH — Lance McCullers Jr. finally got some peace of mind Tuesday night.

The Astros right-hander pitched six scoreless innings to get his first win since Sept. 21, 2022, as Houston beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0. McCullers sat out the 2023 and 2024 seasons because of injuries and had not won in five starts this year since being activated from the injured list on May 4.

McCullers (1-1) struck out seven and walked one while outdueling Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who gave up one run — on a solo homer by Christian Walker in the seventh — in eight innings.

“It took a while, but we got there,” McCullers said of getting the win. “I’m just happy that I’m kind of back in the mix with the guys, and I’m able to give them legitimate opportunities to win.”

McCullers was also happy to have a difficult off-field situation behind him.

An intoxicated bettor who made online death threats aimed at McCullers’ family lives overseas and told Houston police he was sorry for what he had done, a department spokesperson said Monday.

McCullers received the threats on social media directed at his children after a poor start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10 in which he gave up seven runs while recording only one out.

The Astros said Houston police and MLB security were notified. McCullers and his wife, Kara, have two young daughters. Astros owner Jim Crane hired 24-hour security for them.

Police public information officer Erika Ramirez said the man who made the threats was identified during an investigation. Because no charges have been filed, police are not disclosing his identity or where he lives.

“I don’t want to keep on about it, but a lot of thanks go to the Astros, the Astros security, Jim Crane, MLB security, my teammates, the HPD,” McCullers said. “Having resolution is nice. Not being close to Houston is nice. The fans are super supportive, too, and I appreciate that. It’s good that it’s behind us and our family feels safe again.”

The man told police that he would like to apologize to McCullers for the threats. McCullers said he would accept.

“As a follower of Christ and called to love our neighbor and forgive, I would be open to that,” he said.

Shawn Dubin, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader worked an inning apiece to complete a four-hitter. Hader has converted all 16 of his save opportunities this season.

Houston won the opener of a three-game series for its seventh victory in nine games.

The Astros pitched their sixth shutout of the season. The Pirates have been blanked 10 times in 61 games.

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