Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions
SUNRISE, Fla., June 18 (AP): Stanley's stay in South Florida is getting extended.
The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the final, becoming the NHL's first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21 and the third team to do it this century.
Sam Reinhart scored four goals, becoming just the sixth player in league history and first since Maurice Richard in 1957 to get that many in a game in the final. His third to complete the hat trick sent rats, along with hats, flying onto the ice. Matthew Tkachuk, one of the faces of the franchise, fittingly scored the Cup clincher.
More rats were part of the victory celebration when the clock hit zero. Panthers players mobbed in the corner, while the Oilers watched in dismay.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced, closing the door on a rematch with the same result. The only goal came from fellow Russian Vasily Podkolzin in garbage time, long after the outcome was decided, and the NHL put a bow on a remarkable season that included Alex Ovechkin's milestone as the all-time leading goal scorer and Olympics-like buzz around the 4 Nations tournament in February.
There were chants of "We want the Cup!' as the final moments ticked away. The Panthers already had it.
Now they get to keep it.
Not long after the Lightning made three trips to the final in a row, Florida has done the same and now has the makings of a dynasty. The Panthers have won 11 of 12 playoff series since Tkachuk arrived by trade and Paul Maurice took over as coach in the summer of 2022.
The only time they have been on the wrong side of a handshake line was the final in Vegas in 2023, only after several key players were banged up and gutting through significant injuries.
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