#NHLPeachy @NHL Conference Finals Recap: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental, Official Dentist of Whom You Know @GaroNazarianDDS #cosmopolitandental #loveyoursmile
The Best Dentist in Manhattan & Official Dentist of Whom You Know:
30 E. 40th Suite 1001
(212) 683-1960
Dr. Garo Nazarian is a Mover and Shaker, and was the first featured: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/01/movers-and-shakers-dr-garo-nazarian-of.html
Dr. Nazarian, a graduate of Boston College and Columbia Dental School, opened Cosmopolitan Dental in 2006 and has grown in practice into one of the top cosmetic and dental implant practices in New York City. Cosmopolitan Dental strives to surpass all patients' expectations by catering to your dental needs while providing the utmost professional results. Cosmopolitan Dental has been recognized by America's Top Dentists and has earned both the Patients' choice award and the Doctors' choice award. Dr. Garo Nazarian is a proud member of the New York State Dental Association, New York County Dental Society and the American Dental Association. Cosmopolitan Dental loves to make you smile!
“Hopefully we’ll see you next year” was the message Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk delivered to Oilers captain Connor McDavid during the handshake line after the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and 1,392 NHL games later – plus a 4 Nations Face-Off battle – that has become a reality. Florida and Edmonton both skated to decisive series wins as the lower seeds during the Conference Finals to set up just the second Stanley Cup Final rematch in the past 40 years. The latest #NHLStats round recap includes a snapshot of what unfolded in the Conference Finals and what is to come in “The Rematch.”
PANTHERS SCORE THIRD STRAIGHT STANLEY CUP FINAL APPEARANCE, EYE REPEAT
After stringing together three straight wins in the Second Round followed by a Game 7 triumph, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers started their third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Final by pulling ahead to a 3-0 series lead – improving to 7-0 all-time against Carolina in the postseason in the process. Florida outscored Carolina 16-4 through three games – becoming the first team in 44 years (and sixth in NHL history) to score five or more goals in each of the first three games of the Conference Finals/Semifinals – en route to a five-game series triumph.
Reigning champs’ strong road to another Final
The Conference Finals saw Florida tie a franchise record for road wins in one playoff year (8), set an NHL record for goals through 10 road games in one postseason (48; besting the 2022 Avalanche, 43), push their road winning streak to five games (three shy of the franchise record set in 2023) and claim their third series-clinching road win of these playoffs (a club first). That resulted in them becoming the second team in the past 40 years to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons – joining the state rival Lightning (2020-2022; 2-1).
Barkov led depth scoring to guide Cats back to Final
Aleksander Barkov showed why he is a two-time winner and four-time finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy awarded to the League’s best defensive forward, as he shared the series lead with seven points in the Eastern Conference Final and led Florida in percentage of offensive zone time at even strength (41.1%; tied with Aaron Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk) against a club that topped the NHL in offensive zone time during both the regular season and playoffs.
* Barkov generated the series-clinching goal with a highlight-reel individual effort in Game 5, leads the balanced Panthers offense with 17 points in 17 games and is one of 19 different goal scorers for the club this postseason (extending a franchise record and tied with Edmonton for the most by any team since 2019). Among Florida’s goal scorers are all seven defensemen who have played this postseason – that matches the NHL record for the most defensemen on one team with a goal.
OILERS KEEP CANADIAN CUP DREAM ALIVE WITH RETURN TO STANLEY CUP FINAL
After coming within a win of lifting the Stanley Cup in 2024 – thanks to a historic rally from a 3-0 deficit in the Final to force a Game 7 – the Oilers carried their comeback trend into this year’s playoffs, with the latest bounceback seeing them overcome an early series deficit to eliminate the Stars in the Western Conference Final for a second straight year. After the script was flipped for them in the third period of Game 1 – when the Stars staged a multi-goal third-period comeback win with a five-goal frame – Edmonton responded by stringing together four straight wins to become the first team since 2000 to eliminate the same two opponents in consecutive years (LAK and DAL in both 2024 and 2025; DAL eliminated EDM & COL in 1999 & 2000).
The finalists battled back for another shot
After falling behind 2-0 in Los Angeles to start the First Round, Connor McDavid and the Oilers have stormed into the 2025 Stanley Cup Final with a 12-2 record since including an active four-game winning streak. Edmonton is averaging more than four goals-per-game over that span (4.14) while outscoring opponents 58-33, including 19-5 during their string of four straight victories to close out the Western Conference Final – with help from a power play clicking with 34.3% efficiency in those contests (following an 0-for-5 start). Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each have tallied 5-17—22 since Game 3 of the First Round, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has all 18 of his points in that span – with the trio sharing the series lead at nine points apiece in the Western Conference Final.
McDavid takes scoring lead, reaches career milestones in pursuit of first Cup
Connor McDavid scored his second career series-clinching goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final and, as fate would have it, 97 days had passed since No. 97 had netted the championship-clinching overtime goal for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. McDavid enters his second straight Final with 43-100—143 in 90 career playoff games after he became the second fastest player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to record 100 career assists, hitting the mark just 2:31 into the clinching game against Dallas. McDavid reached the milestone one day before the 40th anniversary of when Wayne Gretzky became the fastest player in League history to 100 playoff assists (70 GP on May 30, 1985).
* The Conference Finals also saw McDavid become the fourth player in NHL history with 20-plus points in four consecutive postseasons (Game 2) and overtake the playoff scoring lead (Game 3) – a position he has held for 94 game days (two shy of the most by any active player: Evgeni Malkin, 96) – as he vies to follow in the footsteps of players like Gretzky, Mark Messier, Malkin and Sidney Crosby who claimed their first Stanley Cup win in the second half of Final rematches.
MORE CONFERENCE FINALS TAKEAWAYS HEADING INTO FINAL REMATCH
Lower seeds took charge: The Panthers and Oilers taking 3-1 series leads marked the second time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that the lower ranked teams both held that advantage in a Conference Finals/Semifinals round (also 2014: NYR vs. MTL and LAK vs. CHI).
Finalists back for another shot: Edmonton is the seventh team since the start of the NHL’s expansion era (1967-68 onward) to return to the Stanley Cup Final after losing in it the season prior.
Balance brought Edmonton back to Final: All but two Oilers skaters registered a point in the Western Conference Final (19 of 21), matching a franchise record for any round (also 1982 DSF and 1984 DF) and just the seventh time a team has had that many players contributing in the Conference Finals/Semifinals or Stanley Cup Final.
The Nuge was huge: The longest serving current Oilers player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, collected nine points in the Western Conference Final – all during the first four games – and became the seventh different player in NHL history to record multiple points during each of the first four games in a Conference Finals/Semifinals series.
Rodrigues knows when to shine: Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues tallied seven of his 11 points this postseason during the Eastern Conference Final and in the process became the sixth player in NHL history with multiple assists in each of the first three games of a Conference Finals/Semifinals series. He now has 14 points in his past 12 games played in either the Conference Final or Stanley Cup Final (he led the Panthers with 4-3—7 in the 2024 Final vs. EDM).
The Finns were flying: Five of the 10 highest-scoring Finnish players in Stanley Cup Playoffs history competed in the 2025 Conference Finals – Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Carolina’s Sebastian Aho as well as the Stars contingent of Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Barkov is four wins away from becoming the first player born outside North America to captain multiple Stanley Cup champions.
Veterans vying for another Cup: Forwards Corey Perry (EDM) and Brad Marchand (BOS) each reached the 60-career playoff goals milestone during the Conference Finals and will now meet in the Stanley Cup Final, with a combined 10 appearances between them including 2025 (Perry: 6; Marchand: 4). Perry set a new NHL benchmark for goals in one playoff year by a player at age 39 or older (and enters his sixth career Final with a goal in back-to-back games).
Goals galore in Conference Finals: For the second time in four years and just the fourth time since 1993, the Conference Finals averaged at least 6.4 goals-per-game (also 6.5 in 2022, 6.6 in 2014 & 6.4 in 2009). That included seven games in which at least one club scored five-plus goals, the most in this round since 2015 (8).
Finish strong in the third: There have been 184 third-period goals so far this postseason, which ranks second all-time at this stage (80 GP) behind the 1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs (196). That trend was boosted by standout final frames by Dallas (5 in Game 1) and Florida (5 in Game 3) during the Conference Finals.
All series have needed 5+ games: The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the fifth since 1987 without any best-of-seven sweeps through the Conference Finals/Semifinals, following 2020, 2016, 2002 and 1991.
Goaltenders were shining: Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA) and Stuart Skinner (EDM) are set to meet in the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight year and will do so after being the only goaltenders to post a save percentage of .900 or better in the 2025 Conference Finals. Bobrovsky set a franchise record with his third shutout of the postseason (Game 2), while Skinner also enters the Final with three shutouts and a share of the Oilers’ franchise benchmark. Skinner also became the ninth goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in each of his first three wins of a postseason as well as the fifth in the NHL’s modern era (since 1944) to allow one goal or fewer through his first four wins.
