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Former New Jersey Devils forward Adam Henrique will get another chance to capture the Stanley Cup. 

Now a member of the Edmonton Oilers, Henrique's team defeated the Dallas Stars on Thursday night by a final score of 6-3 to punch their ticket to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. 

The 35-year-old picked up a primary assist on the Oilers' third goal in their series-winning game. 

In the regular season, Henrique earned 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists). In the playoffs, he earned six points in 16 games. 

It marks the second straight season the Oilers find themselves battling the Florida Panthers for the ultimate prize, as Matthew Tkachuk and his teammates defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 on Wednesday night. 
Game 1 between the Oilers and Panthers is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, in Edmonton. 

Henrique spent the first eight seasons and 455 games of his career with New Jersey. On May 25, 2012, he etched his name in Devils' history with his overtime goal against the New York Rangers to secure New Jersey's spot in the Stanley Cup Final. 

The Devils eventually traded him to the Anaheim Ducks with Joe Blandisi and New Jersey's third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for Sami Vatanen and a conditional draft pick on Nov. 30, 2017. After spending seven seasons in Southern California, Henrique was dealt to Edmonton by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 or 2026 NHL Draft in Mar. 2024.

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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After 15 Seasons and 1,078 regular-season games, Edmonton Oilers left winger Jeff Skinner has finally scored his first career playoff goal on Thursday.

His goal gave Edmonton a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 5 of their Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars. It wasn’t the prettiest goal he’s ever scored, but he certainly won’t mind. His tally gets the Oilers one step closer to advancing to the Stanley Cup final for a second-straight year.

It started with a puck battle in the corner of Dallas’ zone, where Skinner came out with the puck and attempted to execute a centring pass to Trent Frederic. The play was broken up and bobbled in front of the crease before it popped out onto Skinner’s stick. 

From the slot, the 33-year-old made no mistake, throwing it through Casey DeSmith’s five-hole. DeSmith was subbed in for Jake Oettinger as the Stars’ starting goaltender allowed two quick goals on two shots in the first seven minutes of the opening period.

This is Skinner’s second career playoff game. He was the next forward available for Edmonton after losing two right-wingers in Connor Brown and Zach Hyman. Hyman has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs as he requires a season-ending surgery.

Therefore, Skinner is playing on the left wing beside Adam Henrique and Frederic on the fourth line.

Ever since his playoff debut earlier in the post-season, he’s been a healthy scratch for Kris Knoblauch’s team.

His first playoff appearance came in Game 1 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers lost that game 6-5 and nearly completed an incredible comeback. 

Skinner recorded a secondary assist in that game to cut the Kings' lead to 4-2. He played 11:12 of ice time and earned a minus-2 plus-minus rating.

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The Seattle Kraken's coaching search is complete.

Lane Lambert is the new coach of the Seattle Kraken and the first coaching hire for new GM Jason Botterill. Lambert gets a second crack at coaching an NHL team after leading the New York Islanders from 2022-23 to halfway through 2023-24.

"After conducting an extensive search, we're thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach," Botterill told NHL.com's Kraken site. "We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. What impressed us throughout the interview process was Lane’s strategy and vision for this team. He was an integral part of the Capitals winning the Cup and the Islanders advancing to two straight Eastern Conference finals. We have full confidence in Lane to lead this team behind the bench."

With the Islanders, Lambert had a combined 61-46-20 record, including a 42-31-9 record in 2022-23 and a 19-15-11 record in 2023-24 before the Islanders replaced him with Patrick Roy. The 60-year-old guided the Isles to the first round of the playoffs in 2023, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.

Lambert spent the 2024-25 season as an associate coach on Craig Berube's bench with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before his time with the Islanders, he was an assistant coach on the Washington Capitals from 2014-15 to 2017-18, winning the Cup in 2018. He's also been an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators and the bench boss of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals and WHL's Prince George Cougars.

"I'm so excited to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken," Lambert said in the announcement. "When it came time to writing a new chapter, I couldn't think of a better fit. Seattle is an incredible sports town, and I’ve been impressed by the energy of the fans every time I’ve been there as a visiting coach. This team has a talented group of young players poised to take the next step and a core group of veterans with great leadership qualities."

The Melfort, Sask., resident played 283 career NHL games from 1983 to 1989 for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques. The right winger had 58 goals and 66 assists for 124 points.

Lambert and Botterill, the latter of whom was promoted to the GM role after Ron Francis was elevated to president of hockey operations, oversee a Kraken squad that finished seventh of eight teams in the Pacific Division with a 35-41-6 record. Despite making the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Kraken missed the following two post-seasons.

Under one season of now-former coach Dan Bylsma, the Kraken finished 16th in the NHL in goals-for with an average of 2.99, 24th in goals-against average at 3.20, 23rd in power-play percentage at 18.9 and 21st in penalty-kill percentage at 77.2.

That said, they have an intriguing mix of talent on the roster, including youngsters Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, and veterans Jared McCann, Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz.

Botterill said he wanted a coach who can build relationships with those players. 

"You have to have constant communication with your players," he told NHL.com. "I think it's important that it doesn't just always come from the head coach. The coach has to delegate, and Lane is deeply familiar with that. The coach has to make sure his assistants are interacting non-stop with the skills coach and strength coach, so you are all on the same page, delivering the same message to the players. You're looking for the head coach to be the CEO of the locker room."

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The Buffalo Sabres have their own collection of restricted free agent players to deal with this summer -- most notably, defenseman Bowen Byram and left winger J.J. Peterka -- and although the Sabres have more than enough salary cap space to make a splash ($23.2 million, as per Puck Pedia), one looming RFA who is getting a lot of attention of late is one they should absolutely steer clear of.

We're talking about Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old Austrian had a solid season for Minnesota this year, setting new personal bests in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60), but there's a reason why his name has cropped up in media speculation: when the Wild had to put their best lineup together for their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Rossi was relegated to the fourth line, averaging only 11:08 of ice time. Rossi did post two goals and three points in six playoff games, but the prevailing sentiment is that he's going to be parting ways with the Wild either via trade, offer-sheet, or both.

Given that Rossi made a relatively-modest $863,334 this season, he's bound to get a considerable raise on his next deal. But why should the Sabres -- not exactly the most physically-imposing team in the NHL -- want to add a 5-foot-9 forward to the mix? Besides, Buffalo has its share of youngsters, and giving up the type of assets the Wild would want (a first-round draft pick and a decent prospect) does not seem to be a wise move for the Sabres.

No one is saying Rossi isn't talented. He's not close to his prime yet, and a 30-goal year certainly isn't out of the question for him in the future. But considering where the Sabres are in their competitve development, adding a youngster who couldn't be a meaningful part of an up-and-coming Wild team isn't a move that many legitimate playoff teams would make, at least in the short-term.

The Sabres need someone with more experience than Rossi can offer right now. They don't need to surrender picks and prospects when they've got youngsters in-house who should get a longer look at the NHL level. Let some other team take a chance on Rossi, as Buffalo doesn't need to take that risk at the moment.

Here's Why Oilers' Clutch Player Needs To Be A Free-Agent Target For SabresIn their current playoff push, the Edmonton Oilers have received contributions from throughout the lineup. But one player -- albeit a currently-injured player -- is someone the Buffalo Sabres ought to be targeting when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Sabres did have success with another Austrian native -- former star winger Thomas Vanek -- but in this case, they should be leaving well enough alone and focusing their efforts on acquiring a more proven commodity than Rossi. He's going to be well-compensated by one team or another this summer, but Rossi almost assuredly won't be coming to Buffalo. The risk/reward of adding someone who, for all we know, could take a backward or lateral step this coming season just doesn't make sense for the Sabres.

So put away those Buffalo jerseys with 'Rossi' on the nameplate. He's not going to be a Sabre, and that's not a bad thing for where Buffalo is in its development.

As Panthers and Oilers meet again, how many Cup Final rematches have there been? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are running it back.

The 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final features a rematch as the defending champion Panthers battle the Connor McDavid-led Oilers with Lord Stanley on the line once again.

The Panthers defeated the Oilers in a seven-game Cup Final thriller last year to capture their first-ever championship. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, Edmonton then won three straight elimination games to even the series, and the Panthers took the decisive Game 7 at home by a score of 2-1.

This is the third straight Cup Final appearance for the Panthers, who have a chance to join an exclusive group of repeat champions. Florida made rare history in 2024 by winning the Cup Final the year after finishing as runners-up, and Edmonton now is looking to do the same. The Oilers haven’t hoisted Lord Stanley in over three decades, with their last championship coming in 1990.

With Oilers-Panthers Round 2 set, here’s a look at the history of rematches in Stanley Cup Final:

Has there ever been a Stanley Cup Final rematch?

This isn’t the first time the same two teams have met in consecutive Cup Finals.

How many Stanley Cup Final rematches have there been?

Panthers-Oilers is the fifth Cup Final rematch since the start of the expansion era in the 1967-68 season.

When was the last Stanley Cup Final rematch?

The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins were the last teams to meet in consecutive Cup Finals, doing so from 2008 to 2009. Detroit won the 2008 Cup Final in six games before Pittsburgh earned the 2009 Stanley Cup title in seven games.

The four previous Cup Final rematches saw two 2-0 sweeps and two 1-1 splits. Here’s a full look at the results of each championship rematch:

• Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Detroit won 2008 Cup Final in six games, Pittsburgh won in 2009 Cup Final in seven games
• New York Islanders vs. Edmonton Oilers: New York won 1983 Cup Final in four games, Edmonton won 1984 Cup Final in five games
• Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins: Montreal won 1977 Cup Final in four games and 1978 Cup Final in six games
• Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues: Montreal won 1968 and 1969 Cup Finals in four games

As Panthers and Oilers meet again, how many Cup Final rematches have there been? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are running it back.

The 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final features a rematch as the defending champion Panthers battle the Connor McDavid-led Oilers with Lord Stanley on the line once again.

The Panthers defeated the Oilers in a seven-game Cup Final thriller last year to capture their first-ever championship. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, Edmonton then won three straight elimination games to even the series, and the Panthers took the decisive Game 7 at home by a score of 2-1.

This is the third straight Cup Final appearance for the Panthers, who have a chance to join an exclusive group of repeat champions. Florida made rare history in 2024 by winning the Cup Final the year after finishing as runners-up, and Edmonton now is looking to do the same. The Oilers haven’t hoisted Lord Stanley in over three decades, with their last championship coming in 1990.

With Oilers-Panthers Round 2 set, here’s a look at the history of rematches in Stanley Cup Final:

Has there ever been a Stanley Cup Final rematch?

This isn’t the first time the same two teams have met in consecutive Cup Finals.

How many Stanley Cup Final rematches have there been?

Panthers-Oilers is the fifth Cup Final rematch since the start of the expansion era in the 1967-68 season.

When was the last Stanley Cup Final rematch?

The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins were the last teams to meet in consecutive Cup Finals, doing so from 2008 to 2009. Detroit won the 2008 Cup Final in six games before Pittsburgh earned the 2009 Stanley Cup title in seven games.

The four previous Cup Final rematches saw two 2-0 sweeps and two 1-1 splits. Here’s a full look at the results of each championship rematch:

• Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Detroit won 2008 Cup Final in six games, Pittsburgh won in 2009 Cup Final in seven games
• New York Islanders vs. Edmonton Oilers: New York won 1983 Cup Final in four games, Edmonton won 1984 Cup Final in five games
• Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins: Montreal won 1977 Cup Final in four games and 1978 Cup Final in six games
• Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues: Montreal won 1968 and 1969 Cup Finals in four games

When does the Stanley Cup Final start? Here's the full Panthers-Oilers schedule originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The last two NHL teams standing in 2025 are the same as in 2024.

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will square off in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. It’s just the fifth time since the start of the expansion era in 1967-68 that the same two teams have met in consecutive Cup Finals.

The Panthers outlasted the Oilers in a roller-coaster 2024 Cup Final that went the distance. Edmonton erased a 3-0 series deficit with three straight victories in elimination games, but Florida avoided a historic collapse by taking Game 7 at home to claim the franchise’s first championship.

This is the Panthers’ third straight appearance in the Cup Final as they look to join an exclusive list of repeat Stanley Cup winners. Florida, which entered the 2025 playoffs as the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 seed, bounced the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, took down the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, and won the Eastern Conference Final over the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

The Panthers have 10 players with at least 10 points this postseason, led by captain Aleksander Barkov (17 points), forward Matthew Tkachuk (16) and center Sam Bennett (16). And between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky boasts a 2.11 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.

Edmonton, meanwhile, is looking to repeat the rare history that Florida pulled off last season by following up a Cup Final loss with a championship. The Oilers, the Pacific Division’s No. 3 seed, first overcame a 2-0 series deficit against the Los Angeles Kings with four straight comeback victories before defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Edmonton won the Western Conference Final over the Dallas Stars for the second straight year, this time in five games. Since starting the playoffs with two straight defeats, the Oilers have lost just twice.

The star duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has powered the Oilers back to the Cup Final, as they seek the franchise’s first championship since 1990 and sixth overall. McDavid and Draisitl are this postseason’s points leaders with 26 and 25, respectively. McDavid could be on his way to a second straight Conn Smythe Trophy after winning the award in a losing effort last year.

But will the NHL’s best player be able to bring the Stanley Cup back to Edmonton? Or will the Panthers double up their Stanley Cup title haul by going back-to-back? From the format to the schedule and more, here’s what to know about the 2025 Cup Final:

Who has home-ice advantage in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final?

Unlike last year, the Oilers will have home-ice advantage in the Cup Final thanks to finishing with more points than Florida in the regular season.

What is the Stanley Cup Final format?

The Cup Final is best-of-seven with a 2-2-1-1-1 format where the team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1 and 2, along with the potential Games 5 and 7.

When is Game 1 of the Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final?

The Cup Final begins Wednesday, June 4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final schedule

• Game 1: Panthers at Oilers — Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Panthers at Oilers — Friday, June 6, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 3: Oilers at Panthers — Monday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Oilers at Panthers — Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 5 (if necessary): Panthers at Oilers — Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 6 (if necessary): Oilers at Panthers — Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 7 (if necessary): Panthers at Oilers — Friday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET

What TV channel is the Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final on?

All Cup Final games will air on TNT and truTV.

Where to stream the Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final live online

Oilers-Panthers will also be available to stream on TNTDrama.com, truTV.com, the TNT app, the truTV app and Max.