Back to Back Champions: The Florida Panthers Win the Stanley Cup

NHL/ X

The grand chase is over. The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup in game 6 of the finals against the Edmonton Oilers.

In a thrilling 5-1 game, the Panthers dominated the Oilers to achieve back to back championships. 

This had not been accomplished since 2021, when the Tampa Bay Lighting won the Cup in 2 consecutive years. This means a Florida team has won 4 of the last 6 championships. 

Sam Reinhart opened the scoring early in the first period. Matthew Tkachuk then extended the lead with just 45 seconds to go in the first. Giving them a 2-0 lead going into the second.

The second period was intense but neither team seemed to be able to score. However, Reinhart scored a goal when the puck hit his skate after Aleksander Barkov shot it. This gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead to start the third.

The last period was marked by increased intention by the Oilers. They had opportunities to turn the score around and come back as revenge for losing against the Panthers the year prior. However, when they pulled Skinner with 7 minutes to go.

Reinhart saw the opportunity to score on the empty net. This completed a hat trick and gave the Panthers a 4-0 lead late in the third. 

The Oilers decided to pull their goalie again, resulting in yet another goal by Reinhart. He became the sixth player to have 4 goals in a Stanley Cup final in NHL history.

Vasily Podolzkin managed to slip in a goal for the Oilers, breaking the shutout. But it was too late.

With a 5-1 final score, the Panthers threw their helmets on the ice as they celebrated their back to back win. 

Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe trophy, awarded to the MVP in the playoffs.

The Panthers win concluded an intense hockey season. 

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