Florida Panthers Win Their First Stanley Cup, Surviving Oilers’ Unlikely Comeback Attempt
In an exhilarating conclusion to the NHL season, the Florida Panthers clinched their first Stanley Cup title, overcoming the Edmonton Oilers in a dramatic Game 7. The Panthers’ victory is a historic moment for the franchise and their fans, marking the culmination of years of effort and dedication.
## Reinhart’s Heroics Seal the Victory
Sam Reinhart’s crucial goal late in the second period lifted the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the NHL Final on Monday night. This decisive moment helped the home team secure its first title and denied Canadian hockey fans the prized trophy’s long-awaited return north of the border.
Reinhart’s goal came moments after a desperate defensive play by Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who cleared a puck that was precariously sliding in the crease behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. This clearance sparked a Panthers’ rush, culminating in Reinhart’s low wrister from the circle that beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, an Edmonton native.
## Tkachuk’s Emotional Win
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, the son of American hockey great Keith Tkachuk, shared an emotional moment after the victory. Recalling his departure from home earlier that day, he said, “All I wanted to do was to win it, not only for everybody out here, but I really wanted to win it for those two especially,” referring to his father and brother, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators.
As his players celebrated with the Stanley Cup, veteran Panthers coach Paul Maurice reflected on the support he received over the years from loved ones in and around Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. “Hey Dad, your name’s going up [on the Stanley Cup] with your heroes, [Jean] Béliveau, [Maurice] Richard, [Gordie] Howe, [Ted] Lindsay, Maurice,” Maurice told Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet.
## A Nod to Winnipeg
Before leading the Panthers, Maurice spent parts of nine seasons behind the Winnipeg Jets bench. Even while enjoying the pinnacle of his professional career, he expressed his enduring affection for his former team. “I’m just lucky,” he said. “If I could have one thing more, it’d be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”
## Edmonton’s Valiant Effort
Edmonton sought to become only the fifth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit when it took the ice at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Just 1½ weeks ago, the Panthers appeared invincible after their 4-3 victory in Edmonton in Game 3, giving them a 3-0 series lead. The high-powered Oilers, who scored the fourth most goals in hockey this regular season, had put only four pucks past Bobrovsky in the first three games.
However, Games 4, 5, and 6 were a different story as Edmonton ran roughshod over Florida, scoring 18 goals to force Monday night’s decisive game. Only four teams in NHL history had rallied from 3-0 holes to win best-of-7 playoff series: the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), the New York Islanders (1975), the Philadelphia Flyers (2010), and the Los Angeles Kings (2014). The Leafs’ feat came in the Stanley Cup Final.
## The Final Showdown
Despite Edmonton’s valiant effort, the momentum they gained from wins in Games 4-6 often dissipates when the puck drops in Game 7. While four teams have successfully come back from 3-0 deficits, five others had forced seventh games, only to lose the winner-take-all contests. Edmonton is now the sixth team to make such a valiant effort that fell just short.
## A Historic Milestone
The Panthers’ win also extended the three-decade-long drought for Canadian teams in winning the Stanley Cup, a feat last accomplished in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens triumphed. Since then, a Canadian team has made the Stanley Cup Final seven times, only to fall short against U.S.-based clubs.
Before hoisting the cup Monday, Florida came close to lifting Lord Stanley’s famed chalice last year, when the Vegas Golden Knights won it all, and in 1996, when the Panthers fell to the Colorado Avalanche.
Reinhart, a native of British Columbia and son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart, praised the Oilers and acknowledged the challenge they posed. “The level of talent they have on that team, to be up 3-0, they made it rough on us,” he told the NHL Network. “That’s the way it was always going to be.”
The Florida Panthers’ first Stanley Cup victory will be remembered as a thrilling chapter in hockey history, a testament to the drama and unpredictability that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so captivating.