The Florida Panthers captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship with a 5-1 Game 6 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, becoming the NHL\'s first back-to-back winners since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-21.
Sam Reinhart delivered a historic performance with four goals, becoming just the fourth player in league history to score that many in a Stanley Cup Final game. Matthew Tkachuk scored the Cup-clinching goal while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots to complete the championship run.
Reinhart\'s third goal completed a hat trick that sent both rats and hats flying onto the ice at Amerant Bank Arena. The four-goal performance matched elite company in Stanley Cup Final history, highlighting Florida\'s offensive depth throughout the playoffs.
Bobrovsky\'s dominant goaltending shut down Edmonton\'s high-powered offense, allowing only a garbage-time goal from Vasily Podkolzin. The veteran netminder\'s stellar play proved decisive in the rematch series.
Florida has now won 11 of 12 playoff series since acquiring Tkachuk and hiring Paul Maurice in summer 2022. The only series loss came in the 2023 Final against Vegas, when key players battled through significant injuries.
Trade deadline acquisitions Brad Marchand and Seth Jones provided crucial contributions, with Marchand recording six goals in the Final alone. Sam Bennett led all playoff scorers with 15 goals during the Panthers\' championship run.
Connor McDavid finished with seven points in his second Stanley Cup Final appearance but was again denied his first championship. The Oilers struggled against Florida\'s aggressive forecheck and made multiple goaltending changes throughout the series.
Stuart Skinner started Game 6 but was undermined by defensive breakdowns and committed his own error on Reinhart\'s second goal. Edmonton\'s depth couldn\'t match Florida\'s balanced attack throughout the lineup.
The victory extends Canada\'s Stanley Cup drought to 31 seasons, with U.S. Sun Belt teams capturing five of the past six championships.
Via ESPN