The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 on Monday to claim the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Sam Reinhart netted the eventual game-winner in the second period. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves.
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The Panthers took the first three contests of the Cup Final. Edmonton battled back to force Game 7, becoming the third team in NHL history to do so in the Cup Final after facing a 3-0 deficit.
“Kind of your worst nightmare when you lose Game 6,” Aaron Ekblad told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. “You kind of mourn it for a night, and then you gotta get back on the horse. We got some great leadership in that room that turned it around and found a way to get it done tonight.”
Matthew Tkachuk’s acquisition in 2022 transformed the Panthers. The former Calgary Flame gave his Alberta fans a nod in victory.
“Shoutout to my fans in Calgary. You know I couldn’t let Edmonton win,” Tkachuk told Bukauskas.
Aleksander Barkov is the first Finnish captain to win the Stanley Cup.
“It’s incredible to see how hard everyone worked for this moment,” Barkov told Bukauskas. “And now, there is no more games tomorrow.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice moves to 5-0 in Game 7s in his coaching career. It’s the first Stanley Cup for the veteran bench boss, who’s coached almost 2,000 NHL games in the regular season and playoffs.
“It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s so much better,” Maurice told Bukauskas. “But it’s the hugs, man. I saw Sam Bennett smile today, first time in two years. It’s brilliant.”
Among those in the Panthers’ front office to win the Cup is Hall of Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo, who didn’t win the trophy as a player.
“It doesn’t feel real right now,” Luongo said, according to Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor. “Put in a lot of work, whether it was on the ice or off the ice the last few years. We finally got it.”
Before the win, Florida was 0-2 in the Cup Final in franchise history, having lost to the Vegas Golden Knights last year and the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
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