So, the dust has finally settled on one of the wildest NHL postseasons we've seen in a minute. If you were looking for the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals dates back in the middle of the season, you probably noticed the NHL kept things a bit mysterious until the very last second. Honestly, that’s just how the league rolls—waiting for those Conference Finals to wrap up before locking in the calendar. But now that the 2024-25 season is in the books, we can look back at the exact timeline that saw the Florida Panthers pull off a historic back-to-back championship.
It wasn't just a win; it was a statement. The Panthers managed to take down the Edmonton Oilers in a six-game thriller that had everyone glued to their screens.
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The Real 2025 Stanley Cup Finals Dates and Schedule
The series officially kicked off on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. It’s funny how everyone always expects it to start on a weekend, but the NHL loves that mid-week drama to get the momentum going. Because the Edmonton Oilers actually finished with a better regular-season record this time around (shoutout to that late-season surge), they held home-ice advantage. That meant the series started at Rogers Place in Edmonton, not in the humid heat of South Florida.
If you’re looking for the game-by-game breakdown of when everything went down, here is how the calendar actually shook out:
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- Game 1: Wednesday, June 4 – Oilers edged out a 4-3 win in OT at Rogers Place.
- Game 2: Friday, June 6 – Panthers bounced back with a 5-4 double-OT heartbreaker in Edmonton.
- Game 3: Monday, June 9 – Series shifted to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise; Panthers won.
- Game 4: Thursday, June 12 – Panthers took a commanding lead at home.
- Game 5: Saturday, June 14 – Oilers fought back in Edmonton to stay alive.
- Game 6: Tuesday, June 17 – Panthers clinched the Cup with a road win in Edmonton.
The whole thing wrapped up on June 17, 2025. It’s worth noting that if the series had gone to a Game 7, it was penciled in for June 20, but Florida didn't feel like waiting that long. They wanted to hoist that trophy and get the party started early.
Why the Schedule Felt Different This Year
You might remember that the 2024-25 season had a weird rhythm. That’s mostly because of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The league took an 11-day break so players from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden could go at it. Because of that pause, the regular season didn't wrap up until April 17.
Naturally, that pushed the start of the playoffs to April 19, 2025. Most fans were worried the Finals would bleed deep into late June, but the league managed to keep the pace relatively brisk.
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The Rematch Nobody Expected (But Everyone Wanted)
Basically, we got a "run it back" scenario. This was the first time since the Red Wings and Penguins went back-to-back in 2008 and 2009 that we saw the same two teams in the Finals two years in a row. Most people thought Edmonton would be too gassed after their 2024 run, or that Florida would have a "championship hangover."
Nope.
The Oilers, led by Leon Draisaitl (who finished with a staggering 33 points in the playoffs) and Connor McDavid, were relentless. But the Panthers had Sam Bennett playing like a man possessed—he took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. Watching Matthew Tkachuk score the series-winning goal at 19:13 of the first period in Game 6 was one of those "where were you" moments for hockey fans.
Logistics and Broadcasts
If you were trying to catch the games in the U.S., you had to have TNT, truTV, or Max. It’s kinda the new reality of sports streaming. Up north in Canada, it was the usual suspects: CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports for the French-language broadcast. Every game dropped the puck right around 8:00 p.m. ET, which is basically 6:00 p.m. for the folks in Edmonton.
What to Keep in Mind for Next Season
If you're already planning your life around the 2026 dates, use the 2025 timeline as your blueprint. The NHL likes consistency. They usually aim to have the Finals wrapped up before the NHL Draft and the start of Free Agency on July 1.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Sync your calendars early: The NHL usually releases the "key dates" for the following season in September. Watch for that PDF—it tells you exactly when the playoffs are likely to start.
- Travel planning: If your team looks like a contender, book refundable hotels for early June in their city. Prices in Edmonton and Sunrise tripled the second the Conference Finals ended.
- Review the CBA: The dates for salary arbitration and free agency are tied to the end of the Finals. Since the Panthers finished things on June 17, the "clock" for the offseason started immediately.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals dates might be in the past, but the way that schedule played out—with the mid-week starts and the double-OT thrillers—set a new bar for how the NHL handles its biggest stage. Florida is a dynasty now. Deal with it.