In case you haven't heard, Miami is a hockey town now and the Florida Panthers are the hottest thing in South Florida sports.

Why it matters: The Panthers will be the talk of the town this week as the Cats hunt for a second straight Stanley Cup championship against the Edmonton Oilers.

Yes, but: Bandwagon fans — this is a safe zone.

If you have never watched a game before or only recently started following the team, here's a guide for how to fake it.

Catch up quick: Longtime Panthers fans — who celebrated their team's first Stanley Cup last year — will remind you that they lived through a lot of losing before the team's recent turnaround.

• After making the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, Florida didn't win another playoff series until 2022.
• The Panthers have since made the Final in three consecutive years.

State of play: In a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers will again take on the Oilers.

• Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in Edmonton. Games 3 and 4 (and 6, if necessary) will be at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

How it works: Hockey is a contact sport with big hits and, sometimes, all-out fights.

• Games have three periods of 20 minutes each.
• In the playoffs, if the score is tied after three periods, the teams play 20-minute sudden-death overtime periods until someone scores.

Fun fact: All 32 teams in the NHL play a different goal horn when their team scores.

• Here are Florida's and Edmonton's.

Names to know: Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, team captain and three-time Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and left winger Matthew Tkachuck are the team's most popular players.

• Oilers center Connor McDavid leads the NHL in points scored this playoffs.

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👇 Want to watch the Stanley Cup Final? Keep reading.

Where you watch the game is almost as important as the game itself…or so we've heard.

• Here's a roundup of spots hosting watch parties — plus a few we think will probably be showing the game, party or not.

🏒 Amerant Bank Arena: For each of the road games, fans can attend a watch party at the Panthers' home arena. Doors open at 7pm.

• A $15 ticket gets you a reserved seat, free parking and discounted food and bev options, with proceeds benefitting the Florida Panthers Foundation.

🥶 Baptist Health Iceplex: Watch the game on the big screen while skating.

• Then enjoy game day specials at The Federal Bar & Restaurant.

⚓️ The Wharf FTL: The outdoor gathering spot will have giant viewing screens (with the sound on) for Games 2, 4, 5 and 7, live music during commercial breaks and food truck options.

🍺 Bokamper's Sports Bar & Grill: The Fort Lauderdale waterfront restaurant wants to be your watch party headquarters, with wall-to-wall TVs (full sound) and "unbeatable views from every seat" for all game nights.

☀️ The Brightside: You might end up on the local news at The Brightside, possibly Miami's most popular Panthers bar. But good luck snagging a table.

• The Coral Way bar isn't accepting any more reservations for Game 1 after receiving hundreds of emails and holding a lottery to allocate tables.
• For Game 2 tables, email [email protected] between 12-5pm Tuesday. Minimum 4 guests per table, maximum 6.

⛵️ Regatta Grove: The Coconut Grove spot has two giant screens, plus multiple TVs, to watch the game with waterfront views. Closed Monday-Wednesday.

🍻 Yes, but: A handful of other breweries and bars, like Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park and Fritz&Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables, hosted watch parties during the Eastern Conference Finals.

• And while they've yet to announce events for Game 1, we'd advise checking their social pages tomorrow to see if that's changed.

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Do you have a go-to spot to watch the game? Hit reply and let us know!

🚓 Former Hialeah police chief Sergio Velazquez was arrested yesterday on charges of money laundering, organized fraud and grand theft. (Miami Herald)

🏃🏻 José Javier Rodríguez, the former state representative and ex-Biden official, announced he's running for attorney general. (The Herald)

A 28-year-old Fort Lauderdale man died in the Memorial Day boat explosion in the Intracoastal Waterway, which injured 11 victims total, his family announced. (CBS 4)

• Joshua Fifi's family created an online fundraiser to pay for his funeral and support his four children.

Travelers heading to Miami International Airport early Sunday morning were met with a little more traffic than expected.

What happened: A freight train was stuck just outside of the airport from 5:30am-7:30am, airport officials told Miami New Times, temporarily blocking traffic.

• But social media videos show the blockage forced passengers to climb over the train (luggage in tow) and walk nearly two miles to make their flight.

The big picture: MIA consistently ranks low among travelers for its persistent flight delays and maintenance issues, including the six-month Skytrain shutdown.

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Florida has about 45,000 international college students, roughly 4% of the approximately 1.1 million international students nationwide, per data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown.

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