Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers rank as total opposites in critical category

The Florida Panthers are known to be a physical team, with Paul Maurice even directly telling his players to wear down the opponents before a Game 7. This colours their entire offensive strategy, which is the complete opposite of the Oilers.

According to new data provided by NHL analyst Corey Sznajder, the Edmonton Oilers are the team with the 2nd most controlled zone entries, while the Panthers rank last.

The Oilers high octane offence has plenty of skill players who are able to carry the puck into the offensive zone for more quick chances off the rush and in-zone passing plays. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers will be playing dump and chase hockey more often than not.

It's an interesting insight into how two of the top teams in the NHL took entirely different paths to their success - and it will be interesting to see if the dump and chase prevails again.

The Edmonton Oilers should be incredibly well prepared for this style from the Panthers, not only from pre-scouts, but also their actual personnel.

The Oilers' defence has been excelling with puck retrievals along the boards and quick breakout passes, which will need to be sharp against the Panthers forecheck. The additions of Jake Walman and John Klingberg in particular make the Oilers better this year than last.

Overall though, the Oilers have to be ready to take a barrage of hits from the Panthers, especially early in the series. They can withstand and adjust to the Panthers' wildly different style, and it will be a key to success in the series.