SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers have won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
It wasn’t an easy task after the Panthers, who were up 3-0 in the series, watched the Edmonton Oilers mount a fierce comeback, adding to the drama of the final game on Monday night.
Game 7 had its series of twists and turns but the Panthers were able to get off to a quick start after Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe used the back of his stick to get the puck past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
The Oilers didn’t take long to respond after Mattias Janmark scored on a quick breakaway and got the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky, who returned to form after allowing the loan goal to finish the game with 23 saves.
Panthers’ Sam Reinhart recorded the game-clinching goal in the second period after a key defensive play by Dmitry Kulikov.
The goal was Reinhart’s 67th of the season, extending his Florida single-season record.
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“It was perfect Florida Panthers fashion. Nothing’s easy,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters after the game. “We needed to get back to basics and lose three in the final to learn how to win four.”
“The determination was clear,” added Maurice.
Florida was an NHL-best 44-0-3 entering Monday when leading after two periods this season. An NHL-best 85-2-6 in that situation in the two seasons under coach Maurice, too.
They slammed the door, one last time. And the Cup was their reward.
South Florida now joins Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, North Texas, Philadelphia, Washington and St. Louis as metropolitan areas with a championship in each of the four professional North American sports leagues.
The Panthers will now get to celebrate their first championship and host their first parade with all of their fans!
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