The NHL’s final four is set after the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round on Monday.
The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers will face off in the Eastern Conference Final beginning with Game 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC). The Oilers will visit the Dallas Stars for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).
For the first time in NHL history, all four teams in the conference finals are looking to win their first championship in at least 20 years.
After losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final last season, Florida is bidding to win the Stanley Cup for the first time and become the first team to win the Cup the season after losing in the Cup Final since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
New York will try to return to the Cup Final for the first time since 2014, when it lost to the Los Angeles Kings, and to win the Cup for the first time since 1994.
Dallas, is in the Western Conference Final for the second straight season, made its last Cup Final appearance in 2020, when it lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is trying to win the Cup for the first time since 1999.
Here are 10 storylines for the conference finals:
