Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions after controversial last-minute Oilers decision

Adriano Boin - SAM English Agency_SAM Edmonton Oilers - English Florida Panthers - English NHL - English Sports Stanley Cup - English

add

The Florida Panthers have firmly established themselves as one of the NHL’s modern dynasties after capturing their second consecutive Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 to seal a 4-2 series win.

What was once a struggling franchise now looks every bit like a powerhouse, marking three straight seasons in the Final and back-to-back championships under head coach Paul Maurice.

Florida’s decisive Game 6 performance was led by a historic outing from Sam Reinhart, who scored four goals, including two into an empty net late in the game after Edmonton made a desperate move to pull goaltender Stuart Skinner with seven minutes remaining.

That bold but risky decision by Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch backfired spectacularly, with Reinhart capitalizing to tie a Stanley Cup Final record held since 1957 by Maurice Richard.

The Oilers, hoping to end Canada’s now 32-year Stanley Cup drought, struck first in the series with an overtime win in Game 1. But Florida responded with victories in Games 2 and 3, including a double-overtime thriller. After Edmonton evened the series in Game 4, Florida seized control again with a gritty Game 5 win and finished the job on home ice.

Sam Reinhart’s heroics highlight Florida’s rise

Reinhart wasn’t alone in lifting Florida to its second straight title. Matthew Tkachuk added a key goal in the first period to set the tone for Game 6, and Carter Verhaeghe notched three assists.

Meanwhile, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 28 of 29 shots, nearly earning a shutout in what was one of the postseason’s most commanding team efforts.

Sam Bennett took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading the league with 15 postseason goals. The win made Florida just the 10th NHL team in history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups and the first since the Tampa Bay Lightning did so in 2020-21.

For Edmonton, the series was another heartbreak. Superstar Connor McDavid’s individual brilliance wasn’t enough to break through Florida’s structured defense. Edmonton’s lone goal in Game 6 came well after the game was out of reach, as Skinner was pulled and Florida took advantage with two empty-netters.

With this championship, Florida continues a remarkable turnaround from its early years of futility. After just five playoff appearances in their first 25 seasons, the Panthers are now the league’s standard-bearer for postseason success. Their win also extends the Sun Belt’s dominance in recent NHL history, with four of the last five Cups going to teams from Florida.

This news was originally published on this post .

Tagged as:
Adriano Boin - SAM English Agency_SAM Edmonton Oilers - English Florida Panthers - English NHL - English Stanley Cup - English

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark sparks chippy moment in Fever-Sun, officiating rant from coach Stephanie White

Sports

Next

Sigmu posílí Makedonec Kostadinov

Sports