In a thrilling Game 7 showdown on Monday, the Florida Panthers secured their maiden Stanley Cup title by edging out the Edmonton Oilers with a 2-1 scoreline.
Sam Reinhart delivered the decisive goal in the second period, sealing the historic win. Sergei Bobrovsky stood strong in goal, making 23 saves to bolster the Panthers’ defense.
Florida had dominated the series early on, claiming victories in the first three games of the Cup Final. Despite a fierce comeback effort from Edmonton, who rallied from a 3-0 deficit, the Panthers held firm to clinch the championship.
“It’s kinda your worst nightmare when you lose Game 6,” remarked Aaron Ekblad to 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.”
Prior to this triumph, Florida had twice fallen short in the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights the previous year and the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Head coach Paul Maurice, now boasting a flawless record of 5-0 in Game 7s throughout his coaching career, celebrated his first Stanley Cup victory. With nearly 2,000 NHL games under his belt in both regular season and playoffs, Maurice’s experience proved pivotal in guiding the Panthers to their historic achievement.
