Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

How the Stanley Cup will be won -- based on historical comps for Panthers vs. Oilers

Written by 
Published in Hockey
Saturday, 08 June 2024 05:50

This year's Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, with Game 1 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+), comes with many fascinating unknowns. For instance, it's unknown whether the battle of best player versus best team will be won by Connor McDavid or the Panthers, respectively, and we don't know whom the big travel distances of the series -- the teams are located a Finals-record 2,541 miles apart -- will favor.

But in terms of the two teams' colliding playing styles and statistical résumés, some guesses can be made about how the Oilers-Panthers matchup might go by looking at similar Stanley Cup Finals from the past.

Along those lines, we're taking inspiration from an exercise we ran before the playoffs, in which we looked for the past champions most comparable to this year's top contenders based on a variety of statistical indicators: Florida's doppelgänger? The 2007 Anaheim Ducks. And Edmonton's? The 2001 Colorado Avalanche.

This time around, we are adding an extra twist: Rather than looking at the most similar matches for just one team at a time, we searched for the most similar pair of Finals combatants to Edmonton and Florida, using their playoff stats to date.

Among the indicators we looked at were postseason winning percentage, goals-per-game differential, goals scored/allowed relative to league average, and goaltending performance, in addition to more esoteric categories such as a team's dependence on its power play, the production of its top star, the share of its offense coming from the blue line and how many penalties it takes. Converting each stat to its percentile rank relative to all Final teams, and weighting the more important categories more, we found the combinations of Final teams since 1980 (which was the first season of the NHL's 16-team playoff bracket) that were most similar to Florida and Edmonton.

Amazingly, when we look at the 10 most similar Final matchups, the Oilers and Panthers are split evenly, with five comparable series won by each current team's equivalent from the past. So for both squads in this year's Final, let's break down the five most similar series that could portend a victory for each side in 2024.

Read 138 times

Soccer

Kane downplays PL return: 'Happy' at Bayern

Kane downplays PL return: 'Happy' at Bayern

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHarry Kane has downplayed the prospect of a Premier League return i...

Arteta 'worried' as Arsenal's Gabriel limps off

Arteta 'worried' as Arsenal's Gabriel limps off

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMikel Arteta has admitted he's "worried" about Gabriel after the Ar...

Messi's bodyguard banned from MLS sidelines

Messi's bodyguard banned from MLS sidelines

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLionel Messi's bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has been banned from protec...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

NBA suspends 5 players for Pistons-Wolves scuffle

NBA suspends 5 players for Pistons-Wolves scuffle

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThree players from the Detroit Pistons and two from the Minnesota T...

NBA coaching carousel: What's next for the Grizzlies and Kings jobs?

NBA coaching carousel: What's next for the Grizzlies and Kings jobs?

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWith two weeks to go in the NBA's regular season, there are two ope...

Baseball

Pirates' Harrington gets call, will debut vs. Rays

Pirates' Harrington gets call, will debut vs. Rays

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Pittsburgh Pirates called up right-handed prospect Thomas Harri...

Yanks bring back reliever Ottavino on 1-yr. deal

Yanks bring back reliever Ottavino on 1-yr. deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino is returning to the...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated