The Stanley Cup Final is around the corner and for many hockey fans, the series, which starts on June 8, can’t begin soon enough. It’s a series that features star power everywhere with Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, Leon Draisaitl, and Aleksander Barkov, four of the top 20, if not the top 10 players in the NHL, leading the way.
Related: Skinner, McDavid Dominate as Oilers Clinch Trip to Stanley Cup Final
The Oilers and Panthers saw their stars lead the way, but they didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final without their top goal scorers. Zach Hyman was incredible this season, with 54 goals and somehow, he took it up a notch in the playoffs, with 14 goals in 18 games. Likewise, Sam Reinhart was great all season long with a career-high 57 goals coming in a contract season (good timing on his part).
Hyman and Reinhart will make the difference in this series, not just as scorers but as star-caliber players. It’s more than just their ability to find the back of the net that will be on display and allow their teams to ultimately win the Cup.
Both Skaters Stepping Up Defensively
Great defense requires a buy-in from everyone on the roster. The Oilers and Panthers have shown that throughout the playoffs. While both teams are well-coached and play structured hockey, the commitment from the skaters on the ice has allowed them to impose their will on the defensive end of the ice.
Hyman isn’t known for his defense but he’s stepped up on the wing, creating turnovers with his forecheck and by playing the passing lanes in both the neutral and defensive zones. His 2.9 defensive point shares this season were only second to McDavid among forwards on the Oilers and it’s a reminder that he’s capable of taking over games on the defensive end of the ice along with his scoring skill set.
Reinhart has similarly had a quiet, but great season defensively. Barkov won the Selke Trophy but Reinhart led the forwards with 3.1 defensive point shares and particularly wore down opposing skaters in the offensive zone with his forecheck which helped the Panthers defeat the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final in six games.
Ironically, the Oilers made it through the Western Conference with their defense leading the way. Yet, heading into the Stanley Cup Final, the stage it set for low-scoring defensive matchups. With that in mind, Hyman and Reinhart must step up at both ends of the ice to give their teams the edge in a series that could go either way.
Hyman & Reinhart Finding Open Skaters
For all the praise of Hyman and Reinhart’s scoring, the two skaters combined for only 60 assists this season and eight in the playoffs. It goes without saying that they are shooters first and playmakers second. The Oilers and Panthers have no shortage of versatile forwards yet Hyman and Reinhart appear as two of the one-dimensional skaters. They can score in multiple ways but they won’t create offense in a similar manner.
In this series, they must create scoring chances for the other skaters on the ice. The defenses won’t give Hyman or Reinhart open looks and they’ll particularly crowd the net and dare them to make plays outside of the high-danger areas. Hyman has scored 10 of his 14 goals in the playoffs from the high-danger areas and Reinhart has four of his eight goals from the same area (thanks to NHL EDGE for this). So, expect both the Oilers and Panthers defensemen to take away that area from both of them. Both skaters will still generate shots on the net but they’ll have to make plays as passers and the chain reaction of doing so will help the offense take off.
Hyman and Reinhart finding their linemates and opening up the offense will help them eventually find open looks. In a seven-game chess match, one of these teams will eventually give up the high-danger areas and allow Hyman and Reinhart to take advantage. More importantly, their passing will allow them to take over the series.
Ultimately, Scoring Will Be Their Key to Success
At the end of the day, the way these skaters will take over is with their scoring and uncanny ability to find the back of the net. This series will come down to a goal or two and they can decide a handful of close games, something the Oilers and Panthers should provide plenty of. Their instincts are vital on the power play where both Hyman and Reinhart will have extra space to find open shots on the net.
Hyman has five goals in the playoffs on the man advantage and Reinhart has four goals on the power play. Reinhart will have a tall order to find a goal or two against the Oilers, a team that has killed off their last 28 penalties (to be fair, the Panthers have scored 14 of their 55 goals in the playoffs on the power play, making this one of the big matchups). The power play is where these teams will win this series and with that, the two best scorers will make their biggest mark.
Hyman & Reinhart Could Enter Conn Smythe Consideration
Heading into the Final, the favorites to win the Conn Smythe Trophy are McDavid and Tkachuk, and assuming they continue to play at a high level, it’s their trophy to lose. However, a great series from Hyman will put him in the conversation. He has 14 goals and finishing the playoffs with 20 will make it hard to ignore him as the favorite.
Reinhart on the other hand might need an exceptional series with one game in particular where he is dominant. He’s been a force in the playoffs but oddly enough, Carter Verhaeghe currently leads the Panthers with nine goals. Reinhart can still take over and if he finds the back of the net a few times, especially in the sixth or seventh game of the series, he’ll cement his case for the award.
This series will be about the stars and a lot of attention will understandably be on the best players in the world. McDavid is finally playing in the Final and could bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993. Tkachuk changed the culture in South Beach when he was traded in the 2022 offseason and could once again show why he’s not only one of the best players in the game but one of the best playoff performers in this era. Evan Bouchard and Gustav Forsling are proving the value of two-way defensemen and they’ll put their teams over the top with strong play in all three zones. Hyman and Reinhart are two of the many elite players in this series yet their ability to make an impact beyond their scoring makes them unique for this matchup.
