The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will decide tonight who is the victor of this year’s Stanley Cup.
Despite the Panthers having three chances to close out the Oilers earlier in the series, Edmonton has clawed back to force a winner-take-all Game 7 that goes tonight at 5 pm PT/6 pm MT/8 pm ET.
And if you’re rooting for the Oilers in this one, at least one piece of historic info probably won’t be going your way: the record of both referees when these two teams play in the playoffs.
Steve Kozari and Dan O’Rourke are working the game tonight, having worked Game 1, Game 3, and Game 5 of the series together so far.
But as flagged by Scouting the Refs, the pair’s records look far better for the host Panthers than the visiting Oilers.
The Oilers have just a 20% win rate in the playoffs this year with Kozari working, going 1-4, while the Panthers sport a 4-2 record. But for his partner, the record tilts even further in Florida’s favour. The Panthers are 14-0-1 in their last 15 games under O’Rourke in both the playoffs and regular season.
Edmonton has gone 1-5 in the 2024 playoffs with O’Rourke is working, while Florida is 5-1. The Oilers’ lone playoff win this year (and Florida’s lone loss) with the pair both working came in Game 5 of this series.
While it may be just random variance for two teams that have both found their way to be within one game of winning the Stanley Cup, it was hardly a talking point among the players when they met the media prior to Game 7.
“You have to prepare just like you always do,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid told the media. “Obviously it’s not your ordinary game. Everybody understands that. But you’ve got to make it as ordinary as possible in your head. I think part of that is just sticking to your routine. Our room has done a great job of being at our best in these big moments, and I would expect no different [on Monday].”
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk echoed McDavid’s statements.
“Game 7, at home. How could you not be so jacked up?” Tkachuk said. “This is an absolutely incredible, incredible opportunity. So, yes, you want to recognize or remember some of the good things that helped you beat these guys earlier in the series, but I’m trying to forget all of it too. Just go in there and win one game. This is what it comes down to.”