No matter who wins the Stanley Cup this year, history will have been made. In a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, the defending champion Florida Panthers will take on the Edmonton Oilers. On the Oilers’ side, Connor McDavid — arguably the greatest player of his generation — will attempt to finally hoist Lord Stanley’s Mug after coming up short last season, despite the Oilers fighting back from a 3-0 deficit to force a game 7. On the other hand, this will mark the third-straight year the Florida Panthers have appeared in the Final, having won it in back-to-back years and looking for a third straight championship.
We had a ton of fun simulating Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins’ 2025 NFL seasons yesterday. So why not give it a try with the Stanley Cup Finals? Using NHL 25, we simulated the best-of-7 series. And if you’re reading this, get comfortable and grab a bag of popcorn. Because this series was wild!
Simulating The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Game 1
Edmonton wins 3-1 in the series opener. Mattias Janmark scored two goals for Edmonton, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring the other. For Florida, Sam Reinhart scored their lone goal.
Series: Edmonton leads 1-0
Game 2
Edmonton wins 5-2. It was a blowout from the start, with the Oilers scoring 3 goals in the first period. All five goals were scored by different players:
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
- Evan Bouchard
- Connor Brown
- Zach Hyman
- Leon Draisaitl
For the Panthers, Carter Verhaeghe scored both goals. As of now, it looks like the Oilers are head-and-shoulders above the Florida Panthers.
Series: Edmonton leads 2-0
Game 3
Edmonton continues its dominance and wins 5-0. Connor Brown was the standout performer in this one, scoring a hat trick. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard contributed the other two goals. Florida was lifeless throughout.
As of now, the Panthers look dead in the water and will need to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit since the Toronto Maple Leafs did in 1942.
Series: Edmonton leads 3-0
Game 4
Florida wins 5-4 in overtime on a game-winning goal from Sam Bennett. There’s life!
After dropping the first three games of the series, the Panthers were finally able to win a game. As noted above, Sam Bennett played hero and scored the winning goal. Five different players found a way to put the puck into the net:
- Sam Bennett
- Matthew Tkachuk
- Evan Rodrigues
- Sam Reinhart
- Eetu Luostarinen
Connor Brown was the leading scorer on the Oilers, scoring two. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues his impressive importance, collecting a goal and two assists in Game 4. Adam Henrique contributed the other goal.
It hasn’t been pretty, and the future is still bleak. But the Panthers aren’t dead yet.
Series: Edmonton leads 3-1
Game 5
Florida clutches up in overtime again, winning 6-5! This time, it’s team captain Aleksander Barkov who wins it.
In total, Barkov had two goals and an assist on the night. Outside of him, four other Panthers players chipped in with goals:
- Sam Reinhart
- Matthew Tkachuk
- Niko Mikkola
- Uvis Balinskis
On the other end, Edmonton’s star player Connor McDavid finally put his stamp on the series, collecting two goals and two assists on the night. Despite that and a two-goal performance from Viktor Arvidsson, the Oilers couldn’t close out the series and hoist the Stanley Cup for the second-straight game.
The Panthers are still down and in need of some heroics, but they’re fighting with everything they have.
Series: Edmonton leads 3-2
Game 6
Florida wins 5-3, tying the series! I cannot believe what I’m seeing!
Reinhart continues to score goals, while Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola, AJ Greer, and Eetu Luostarinen chipped in. Jeff Skinner, Darnell Nurse, and Mattias Janmark scored for Edmonton, but couldn’t prevent the Panthers from having a late surge in the third period.
It’s one for the ages. Florida looked completely outmatched in the first three games, only to will themselves to victory in two straight overtimes, and then force a Game 7. Is this history in the making?
Series: We’re all tied 3-3
Game 7
Here it is: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final! To mark such an occasion, we’ll be taking you through the action, period by period.
1st Period: The Panthers’ Sam Reinhart scores first, but Viktor Arvidsson answers back a minute later. 1-1 at the first intermission.
2nd Period: Edmonton dominates, with Zach Hyman scoring a powerplay goal two minutes in. Brett Kulak piles another one on a minute later. The Oilers lead 3-1 going into the final period.
3rd Period: Florida grabs one back halfway into the period, with Sam Bennett being the one to tap it home. But it’s not enough. Edmonton is able to hold on and win the Stanley Cup, despite almost blowing a 3-0 deficit and being on the wrong side of history.
The Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup in 7 games!
Final Thoughts
I was expecting this to be a quick write-up after I had simulated the first three games, but the Florida Panthers put up one hell of a fight and proved why they’re back-to-back champions and have been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals.
That isn’t to take away from Edmonton, though. Despite almost blowing it, they overall played extremely well and were always right there.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the clear star performer on either side. In 7 games, Nuge scored a total of 13 points: 3 goals, 10 assists. And though he wasn’t the top performer of the series, Connor McDavid also put in some amazing shifts, finishing third among all players in the series in terms of points (11).
On the Panthers’ side, Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk each had 10 points, with the former scoring the lion’s share of the goals. Without them putting in some clutch performances, the series would’ve likely been over by Game 5, if not Game 4.
