Panthers rout Oilers to capture second NHL Stanley Cup in a row
The Florida Panthers, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating Edmonton 5-1 to win the NHL Final.
Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2.
"It's incredible," Florida's Brad Marchand said. "It's a feeling you can't really describe... words can't put this into reality how great it feels. Such an incredible group."
After claiming their first crown last year, the Panthers become the first NHL club since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 to win back-to-back titles.
Florida beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead, but this time dominated the last two games to hoist the trophy again.
"It's an amazing feeling," Bobrovsky said. "They are amazing, the group. I'm so privleged to be their goalie. It's a dream come true and to win that trophy twice, it's amazing."
Not since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978 had a team defeated the same foe in the final two years in a row.
The Panthers, who also lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, obtained Tkachuk in a 2022 trade with Calgary and haven't missed the final since.
"We're a dynasty," Tkachuk said. "And I can't believe this is what has happened... It just shows how unbelievable the group is, the depth."
Reinhart became only the fourth player to score seven goals in an NHL Final after Jean Beliveau in 1956, Mike Bossy in 1982 and Wayne Gretzky in 1985.
"It's not easy coming back again," Reinhart said. "You know how hard it is to do. Sometimes that benefits you and sometimes it doesn't.
"We just stuck with it. A lot has to go your way to be standing here at the end. We were up to task again."
Florida players took turns skating a lap on the ice after the game with the trophy lifted above their heads.
Florida center Sam Bennett, who scored five goals in the final, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"It's incredible," Bennett said. "This was harder than last time. We put in so much work. There are 25 MVPs in this group. It's the best feeling in the world."
The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990.
No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993.
Marchand, obtained in a trade from Boston where he won a Cup in 2011, scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final.
"We just had that fire," Marchand said. "We knew we had something special."
Florida became only the eighth NHL team to clinch the Cup on home ice in back-to-back seasons, the first since the Oilers in 1987 and 1988.
- Reinhart runs wild -
Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
It was the 29-year-old Canadian right wing's league-leading 15th goal of the playoffs, coming a day after Reinhart was named to Canada's 2026 Winter Olympic team.
Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period.
Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period, deflecting in an Aleksander Barkov shot.
The Oilers pulled Skinner in favor of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay by scoring two goals into the empty net.
Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout.
js/rcw
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alex Pereira: Focus on Magomed Ankalaev rematch, not heavyweight move
NEW YORK—Fans clamoring for Alex Pereira to move to heavyweight are going to have to wait a bit longer. Pereira dropped the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 in March. With the heavyweight division up in the air, Jon Jones saying multiple times he's not interested in fighting right now, and interim champ Tom Aspinall looking for an opponent, 'Poatan' would be a popular choice to flip one of the UFC's thinner divisions upside down. Advertisement That time is not now, however, as Pereira has his sights set on a fall return to avenge his loss to Ankalaev. 'Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November, for me it makes no difference, I want to fight,' Pereira told MMA Fighting at Fanatics Fest. 'My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev... get my belt back, and then we see what happens after.' Pereira has accomplished so much in so little time that the opportunity to win a third divisional title seems like a reasonable goal and request. Right now, Pereira hopes the heavyweight division can get moving again in an entertaining way, but he has his own boxes to check. Advertisement 'Let those guys kill each other in that weight class,' Pereira said. 'Right now I'm just focusing on light heavyweight.' More from
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
⭐️ A wild finish: MVP shines in LAFC-ES Tunis clash
With a lack of a win in the Club World Cup, Los Angeles FC are mathematically eliminated from the tournament. Espérance Sportive de Tunis achieved an agonizing victory over the Angelinos and will play for their pass to the next round against Chelsea. Register on DAZN to watch ALL Club World Cup FIFA matches for FREE Advertisement The match had two great figures. The first was Youcef Belaïli, scorer of the goal in the 69th minute, who took advantage of a series of rebounds inside the rival area and was able to defeat the goalkeeper. In added time, LAFC had the opportunity to tie the match, but goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said became a hero, stopping Denis Bouanga's shot. It was a heart-stopping finish at Geodis Park. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 PAUL ELLIS - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
George Kittle Reacts to Sam LaPorta's Major Personal Announcement
George Kittle Reacts to Sam LaPorta's Major Personal Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Sam LaPorta is heading into his third season as a star tight end for the Detroit Lions, looking to build off two impressive campaigns to begin his NFL career. Advertisement In 33 regular-season game appearances for the Lions, LaPorta reeled in 146 catches for 1,615 yards and 17 touchdowns. The former second-round draft pick will now look to continue that impressive production in Detroit's upcoming 2025 season. Off the field, LaPorta has had a busy offseason following Year 2 in the NFL. This past Saturday, the 24-year-old tight end married his longtime partner Callahan Dellinger. LaPorta and his newly-wed wife shared the news of their wedding ceremony with a joint Instagram post on Sunday. "A house built on rock.6/14/25," the couple wrote. Friends flooded the comments section with reactions to this news. One of the most notable reactions was from San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. Advertisement "Congrats !!" Kittle wrote in the comments. LaPorta and Kittle both famously played their college football careers as standout tight ends for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) celebrates a play against Tennessee Titans with offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'LaPorta is going to be fantastic. I think Laporta's the best tight end in the draft class. I think the Lions got a complete steal," Kittle said after Detroit selected LaPorta with the No. 34 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. "I like the other tight ends too, but I spent two weeks training with Sam LaPorta, and the way he moves -- oh yeah, he's got the dog in him. He's kind of quirky, he's kind of goofy, too. He's going to fit in well.' LaPorta and the Lions will kickoff their 2025 regular-season schedule with a Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sep. 7. Advertisement Related: Broncos React to Notable Peyton Manning Announcement on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
