Rankin Inlet hockey guru Gabe Karlik predicts Edmonton will put the hooks in Florida for a five game Stanley Cup victory. Photo courtesy Gabe Karlik
Rankin Inlet hockey guru Gabe Karlik predicts Edmonton will put the hooks in Florida for a five game Stanley Cup victory. Photo courtesy Gabe Karlik
If push comes to shove, local hockey aficionado Gabe Karlik of Rankin Inlet picks the Edmonton Oilers to dethrone the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final, but, either way it goes, he predicts it will be a short series.
Karlik said he’d be shocked if the final went longer than five games.
He said he hopes to see Edmonton win, but he can see either team coming out on top.
“I said whoever takes Game One takes the series and the Oilers took it, so my money is on them to go all the way,” said Karlik.
“I see the series being really chippy no matter which way it goes.”
Karlik said the Oilers have to depend more on defence than the Panthers, but he sees the series being low scoring and the Oilers up to the task.
He said the only way Florida wins is if the series ends up being a high-scoring affair and he just doesn’t see that happening.
“If (Mattias) Ekholm plays for Edmonton, it will be a low-scoring series. Brad Marchand has to come through big time for Florida to have a chance, in my opinion, but, if Connor McDavid is Edmonton’s best player in the series, I still see it being too much for Florida to handle.
“They’ve relied on (McDavid) for forever and if he’s on his game, I see him and (Leon) Draisaitl being just like Wayne Gretzky and (Mark) Messier of the old Oilers Cup-winning teams.”
Karlik said the earlier Oilers teams had more overall depth, but this year’s edition is pretty close.
He said both teams have strong goaltending, but Edmonton is deeper with its firepower.
“The past few years, Florida has shown a lot of grit and determination and seemed to want it more, but this Oilers team is just as hungry this year, maybe even more.
“Florida is a complete team and every player knows his role. But, when all is said and done, I just see Edmonton being a touch better. Although I pick Edmonton, I will say the longer the series goes the more I can see Florida repeating.
“There seems to be a buy-in from the team (Florida) on how (head coach) Paul Maurice wants them to play.
“He (Maurice) was the missing piece the team needed to get over the hump of great regular season to playoff success.”
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
We’re always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what’s going on!
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
