Knoblauch downplays championship experience: 'Ask the Buffalo Bills'

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch fired a stray at the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday when asked if the Florida Panthers had an advantage due to reaching the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons.

"Yeah, experience is good," Knoblauch said, per Sportsnet. "I don't know how much experience is beneficial. You can ask the Buffalo Bills how important Super Bowl experience is. But I think the biggest thing is just having confidence in playing. When our guys are playing their best, they should have a lot of confidence."

The Bills went to four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s but lost each time. The Panthers fell short of hockey's ultimate prize last spring, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Oilers are back in the final for the first time since 2006. Their roster is short on championship pedigree, with veteran Corey Perry the only player to have a Stanley Cup ring. Mattias Ekholm and Adam Henrique have each reached the final but came away empty-handed.

Florida is the first runner-up to reach the Stanley Cup Final the following year since the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. After eliminating the New York Rangers to close out Round 3 last week, the Panthers made it clear a shot at redemption was their primary goal from the start of training camp.

"We wanted to get back to this moment, and we're here," said winger Matthew Tkachuk after the series-clinching win. "Hopefully, we can keep this thing going."

Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday in Sunrise.

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