The Stanley Cup Finals is upon us. We are mere weeks away from crowning a new champion in the NHL. Before the action gets underway on Saturday, let’s look at the arc of both teams to get to the big dance, a matchup of note, what to look out for on the ice and an x-factor of sorts to watch out for.
The Cats claw back
First, how did these teams get here? A year or so ago, this wouldn’t have been much of a surprise. The Panthers won the President’s Trophy and finally won a playoff series before promptly bowing out to Tampa Bay in Round 2.