By Basil Stroh
NHL Public Relations
* Barkov enters the 2025 Stanley Cup Final looking to become the first player born outside North America to captain two championship-winning teams.
* McDavid aims to add a Stanley Cup to his already decorated trophy cabinet and lead the Oilers to their first championship in 35 years.
Connor McDavid – known for his offensive prowess – and Aleksander Barkov – recognized for his defensive reliability – are set to face-off in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, with the Oilers captain looking to flip the script while the Panthers captain aims to help his club repeat as victor. With Game 1 fast approaching, #NHLStats looks back at how McDavid and Barkov perform head-to-head:
* McDavid accumulated 3-8—11 (7 GP) in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final – two shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record for most points in a Final series (3-10—13 in 1988). Barkov posted 2-3—5 across seven games and tied teammate Anton Lundell (0-5—5 in 2024) for the second-most points by a Finnish player in a Stanley Cup Final series over the past decade, behind only Mikko Rantanen (0-8—8 in 2022 w/ COL).
* McDavid and Barkov shared the ice for a total of 64:02 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, during which McDavid (1-3—4) held the edge in points over Barkov (0-3—3) but the latter had the upper hand in the faceoff circle, winning 72% (18/25).
* Trailing 3-0 in the series, McDavid found the score sheet with Barkov on the ice in Game 4 (0-1—1) and Game 5 (1-1—2) to help Edmonton get back in the series. However, Barkov held McDavid without a point in Game 6 and Game 7, during which they shared the ice for 12:52 in the winner-take-all contest, en route to Florida’s first Stanley Cup.
* Outside of the postseason, McDavid and Barkov have gone head-to-head 11 times in the regular season. McDavid (4-12—16) has totaled more points and assists than Barkov (6-4—10) in those contests, but the Panthers captain holds the edge in goals and wins (FLA: 6-4-1, EDM: 5-6-0). Additionally, during the 4 Nations Face-Off, McDavid (1-1—2) had the edge over Barkov (0-1—1) in points and led Canada to a 5-3 victory in Boston.
BARKOV EYES NHL HISTORY AS PANTHERS PURSUE SECOND STANLEY CUP
Aleksander Barkov, who played a pivotal role both offensively and defensively in helping the Panthers win their first championship last season, enters the 2025 Stanley Cup Final looking to become the first player born outside North America to captain two champions.
* Barkov (6-11—17 in 17 GP) is three points away from becoming the third Finnish player with 20 or more points in consecutive postseasons after recording 8-14—22 in 2024 – he would join Jari Kurri (1983 to 1985 & 1987 to 1988) and Esa Tikkanen (1990 to 1991). He can also become the first captain born outside of North America to record 20 or more points in consecutive postseasons.
* Barkov has 3-4—7 in 12 career Stanley Cup Final games, including one game-winning goal in Game 3 against the Oilers in 2024. He is three points away from becoming the fourth Finnish player with 10 or more career points in the championship round, a feat only Kurri (15-24—39 in 35 GP), Tikkanen (9-6—15 in 30 GP) and Ville Leino (3-8—11 in 10 GP) have achieved. His teammate Anton Lundell (1-7—8 in 12 GP) can also join this list.
* Barkov (2021, 2022, 2024 & 2025) is one of only five players in the past 30 years to be nominated for the Selke Trophy four or more times in a span of five seasons. The others: Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Toews and Anze Kopitar. Barkov can become the third player in NHL history to win the Selke Trophy in consecutive years while making the Stanley Cup Final in each season, following Datsyuk (2008-2009) and Bob Gainey (1978-1979).
* Barkov is often matched up against the opposition’s top offensive threats and has been successful at shutting them down at even strength. Since the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (41 GP), Barkov has only been on the ice for a total of four even-strength goals against (excluding empty-net goals) scored by the League’s top offensive stars (Sebastian Aho: 2 G in 5 GP, Auston Matthews: 1 G in 7 GP, Artemi Panarin: 1 G in 6 GP, Nikita Kucherov: 0 G in 10 GP, Connor McDavid: 0 G in 7 GP & David Pastrnak: 0 G in 6 GP).
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McDAVID LOOKS TO FLIP SCRIPT IN SECOND CHANCE AT STANLEY CUP
Connor McDavid has a decorated career – a Conn Smythe Trophy, five Art Ross Trophies, three Hart Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards and one Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as well as eight 100-point seasons – but in the coming days the Oilers captain will look to secure the most-sought after trophy of all: the Stanley Cup.
* McDavid (6-20—26 in 16 GP) leads the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs in points thanks, in part, to a Conference Finals that saw him record 3-6—9 in five games, including four multi-point outings. McDavid needs four points to record his second straight postseason with 30 or more points and can become the fourth different player to do so, following Wayne Gretzky (3 from 1983-85 & 2 from 1987-88), Nikita Kucherov (2 from 2020-21) and Mario Lemieux (2 from 1991-92).
* McDavid has 143 career points in the postseason (43-100—143 in 90 GP), 121 of which have come since 2022, making him just the second player in NHL history to record that many over any four-postseason span alongside Gretzky who did so four times in his career, all within the 1980s (most: 143 from 1985-88). McDavid’s 121 playoff points since 2022 are 15 more than teammate Leon Draisaitl (106), who ranks second over that span, and nearly 50 more than third-place Evan Bouchard (75).
* McDavid has factored on 44.8% of Edmonton’s playoff goals since making his postseason debut in 2017. The only other players in NHL history to factor on as high of a percentage of a franchise’s playoff goals when they were in the lineup (min. 50 GP) are Doug Gilmour with the Maple Leafs (50% from 1993 to 1996), Lemieux with the Penguins (47.3% from 1989 to 2001) and Gretzky with the Oilers (45.7% from 1980 to 1988, including suspended game in 1988 SCF). Draisaitl ranks fifth (41.7% from 2017 to present).
* The Oilers captain also leads all skaters in skating speed this postseason, topping the charts with a maximum speed of 23.92 miles per hour during Game 2 of the First Round as well as with 134 bursts of 20+ miles per hour. McDavid is the only player to rank within the top five of both categories in each of the last four playoffs.
QUICK CLICKS
* 2025 Stanley Cup Information Guide is now available
* Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell good to go for Panthers in Game 1 of Cup Final
* Connor McDavid ‘everything to this organization,’ Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson tells NHL.com
* Sam Bennett, Panthers proving perfect fit heading to 3rd straight Cup Final
* Lane Lambert hired as Kraken coach, replaces Dan Bylsma
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