Edmonton Oilers identity change, goaltender Stuart Skinnerthe ability to manage the Florida Panthers, Gustav Forslingthe evolution of as the best defenseman in the NHL and how the captain of the Panthers Alexander Barkov may be the best center in the Stanley Cup Final.
All of these topics and more are covered this week in the new episode of the “NHL @TheRink” podcast with former NHL player Ryan Callahan, now an analyst at ESPN.
Callahan joins co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke to talk all things Panthers and Oilers as the Stanley Cup Final is set to tip off in Florida on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Callahan raved about Edmonton becoming one of the best defensive teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a reversal from where they were before that run. But he wonders if Skinner can handle Florida’s aggressive offense.
After watching the New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin being arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference Finals and still not good enough to put his team past the Panthers, Callahan wonders how Skinner will fare under similar pressure.
Conversation with Callahan includes his thoughts on how Florida can attempt to limit Edmonton’s center Connor McDavidthe impact of coaching experience at this point in the playoffs, how Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch managed to hold Edmonton’s players accountable, and a terrific answer on why shots on goal outperform power plays during the playoffs.
Plus, Rosen and Roarke break down the Cup Final with their thoughts on the matchup, Game 1 storylines, and their predictions for the series.
They have a particularly nice but strong discussion about Barkov vs. McDavid.
They also discuss the forwards’ NHL careers Joe Pavelski And Blake Wheelerand answer the question of whether one, both, or neither are future Hall of Famers.
The “NHL @TheRink” podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
