Wayne Gretzky makes bold prediction for Edmonton Oilers in Stanley Cup Finals vs Florida Panthers

Former NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky recently made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show and spoke about the Edmonton Oilers. He said that the Oilers, who are facing the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, have a great chance of lifting the prestigious title.

What did Wayne Gretzky say about the Edmonton Oilers?

Wayne Gretzky feels that Edmonton Oilers have a great chance of winning this year's Stanley Cup because they play fast paced game and physical hockey.

Well, this is the team to do it, Gretzky said. One, I don't think Florida's played a team that's as physical as Edmonton. The speed of Edmonton matches Carolina, but Edmonton's a little more physical.

The NHL legend said that Florida Panthers have not played against a side which is as physical as Edmonton Oilers are.

When you get to three championship series in a row, you're physically beat up, Gretzky said. And right now, I hope Florida can rebound, but they put their guts on the line the last three years. And it's hard to get to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the last year's Stanley Cup, the Edmonton Oilers lost to Florida Panthers. The Oilers were trailing 3-0 in the series and made a great comeback by leveling it 3-3. However, the Game 7 was lost by the Oilers. This was also a return for the Florida Panthers in the finals as they lost to Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 NHL season.

Not just this, Gretzky even talked about Florida's players such as Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. The former all-time leading scorer spoke that the Panthers are a tough team but the Oilers playing style will wear them down in the series.

They play hard, and they're led by guys like Tkachuk and Barkov and Reinhart, Gretzky said. I expect them to bounce back.

Wayne Gretzky talks about Edmonton Oilers' fans dedication for the sport

The Stanley Cup was first shown at the Rogers Place in Edmonton. Fans erupted and shouted that 'We Want The Cup' as the city seems very excited. Gretzky feels that the fans and the arena are great and even noticed how much the city is behind the team.

Listen, Edmonton feels it, Gretzky said. The city, that's all anybody talks about. I was beside the arena yesterday, and at 12 o'clock noon, a band started playing, I thought I was Columbus Street in Manhattan for Labor Day Parade or something. It's crazy.

Edmonton Oilers won Game 1 in overtime. They were trailing 3-1 but tied the game 3-3. Leon Draisaitl scored in the overtime to win it for the Oilers. Captain Connor McDavid mentioned that the experience helped them to stay calm and fight back.

We just hung in there, McDavid said, via NHL.com. I think that is experience, just knowing that we’ve got to open it up. We need to hold them at three and find a way to get one, and fortunately we did.

After winning Game 1, the Edmonton Oilers have a 1-0 lead in the seven game series. The Game 2 between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will now be played on Friday.