Edmonton Oilers. Florida Panthers. The 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

It might not have been the first choice at the start of the season for the last series in the NHL calendar, but it's hard to argue both teams' place in hockey's showpiece event.

Florida's physical and punishing style has beaten the best in the East, and the Oilers have played thrilling hockey while making their way through the West.

So, who's taking home the Cup? The B/R NHL staff were called together to provide their picks.

Got your own opinion on the series? Submit it now in the comments section of the app.

Sorry, Canada: Panthers Get the Job Done This Year

I went with the Florida Panthers in last year's Stanley Cup Final, expecting them to be a team of destiny following their upsets of the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Instead, the Vegas Golden Knights were the team destiny favored, winning the Final in five games.

Being Canadian, I'd love to see the Oilers end my country's 31-year Stanley Cup drought, and I'd enjoy watching Connor McDavid cement his legacy as his generation's greatest player with a championship.

However, I'm backing the Panthers for the second straight year.

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but they appear better positioned this year to go all the way.

The Panthers still play a heavy physical style well-suited for the postseason grind. It's what carried them past the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins (again) and the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers to reach this stage.

Experience is also a big factor this time around. Florida knows what it takes to win after falling short in last year's Cup Final. This is a tight-knit bunch who don't get rattled by adversity.

This year's Panthers are also healthier. Last year, core players such as Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour played in the Final with injuries that would've sidelined them for months during the regular season.

None seem to be laboring through any significant physical ailments entering this series.

Florida holds the edge in goals-against per game (2.29) over the Oilers (2.61) as Sergei Bobrovsky continues to provide solid goaltending. Its secondary scoring is more reliable than that of the top-heavy Oilers. On special teams, Edmonton holds a distinct advantage (especially on the power play), but the Panthers are no slouches killing penalties.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has garnered praise for his efforts this season and throughout the playoffs to get his club back to this point. It's his third trip to the Finals, and this one could be the charm.

Additional motivation for the Panthers is the knowledge that this is the last opportunity for their current roster to win the Stanley Cup. Eleven players are eligible to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. They're the definitive "win-now" team.

Prediction: Panthers in 6

—Lyle Richardson

4th Time Lucky: Oilers Spring Cup-Caliber Surprise

Seems leaving the Edmonton Oilers for dead is a cottage industry.

Some suggested they were done after splitting the first two games of the opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Those voices got louder when they blew a three-goal lead to lose Game 1 to Pacific Division champ Vancouver in the second round.

And by the time they fell behind 2-1 to a deeper, sturdier and defensively superior Dallas team in the Western Conference Final, the columns suggesting an imminent demise were being written.

But whaddya know? They've got a game this weekend. And they'll probably show up.

The reason? They're a little better than a lot of people think.

Oh sure, everyone knew those McDavid and Draisaitl guys were good. But what they've found out through 18 playoff games is that Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and (gasp) Stuart Skinner are pretty fair players, too.

No longer a team that succeeds solely by outscoring mistakes, the Oilers have been the league's top special teams outfit on both the power play and the penalty kill, and they've employed a disciplined defensive system that allows shots but limits high-danger chances.

It's precisely the sort of style that wins teams games in the playoffs.

Yes, the Panthers are good. Yes, they have finals experience. But as coach Kris Knoblauch pointed out, just having experience on the big stage doesn't ensure success.

He suggested asking the Buffalo Bills. And we could also suggest the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were two-time champs when they faced the upstart Colorado Avalanche two years ago but found themselves on the wrong end of a six-game verdict.

That series ended in Florida with a visiting team hoisting the Cup.

Believe it or not, this one's headed that way, too.

Prediction: Oilers in 7

—Lyle Fitzsimmons

Team of Destiny Gets It Done

The Panthers have been a wrecking ball throughout the postseason.

They've handled the Lightning. They wrecked the Bruins. And they smashed through the NHL's best regular-season team, the New York Rangers.

So why am I going against popular opinion and picking the Oilers?

I'll give you two numbers: 97 and 29.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the best players in the series and while it's safe to say Florida might have a better team, Edmonton has the gamebreakers to change a series.

The dynamic duo are leading the league in postseason points (McDavid with 31, Draisaitl with 28), but it's not just them alone.

Evan Bouchard has become a dynamic offensive defenseman. Zach Hyman continues to score at a torrid pace. And Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been clutch when the occasion calls for it.

The key here is if McDavid can produce against Sasha Barkov. The Panthers captain and Selke Award winner will be in the Canadian's grill every chance he gets. But if McDavid can produce at 5-on-5 against Barkov, the tone dramatically shifts toward the Oilers.

And if we get Stuart Skinner from Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, that might be enough for the Oilers to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990.

Don't kid yourself, we're in for a long series. Flipping a coin here says the Oilers get it done. Just.

Prediction: Oilers in 7

—Lucky Ngamwajasat