Back-to-back Cats: Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions by dominating Oilers in Game 6
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That was followed by chants of 'We want the Cup!' as time ticked off the clock. The Panthers already had it. Now they get to keep it.
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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 modern-day dynasty. The Panthers have won 11 of 12 playoff series since
The only time they have been on the wrong side of a handshake line was the final in
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THE CATS GO BACK-TO-BACK 🏆
THE FLORIDA PANTHERS ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 😼
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
From the core of Tkachuk, Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Bennett on down the roster, they were much healthier this time around and were boosted by key
Getting depth contributions from throughout the lineup allowed them to overpower Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Oilers, who struggled with Florida's ferocious forecheck and
McDavid tried to take over but was again stymied by Barkov, Jones, and Bobrovsky. He finished with seven points in his second career trip to the final, again denied his first title.
Canada's Stanley Cup drought reached 31 seasons and 32 years dating to Montreal in 1993. Teams in the US Sun Belt have won it five of the past six times, four of them in Florida.
This run through Tampa Bay in five, Toronto in seven, Carolina in five, and Edmonton in six showed how clinical the Panthers have become under Maurice, who has coached more NHL games than everyone except Scotty Bowman and is now a two-time champion.
So is Marchand, who last hoisted the Cup in 2011 with the Bruins. The 14-year gap is the third-longest in league history, just shy of 16 for Chris Chelios from 1986 to 2002 and 15 for Mark Recchi from '91 to '06.
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