Panthers Hold on to Beat Oilers for Their First Stanley Cup in Franchise History
The Florida Panthers claimed their first Stanley Cup in franchise history on Monday night with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in a winner-take-all Game Seven. As most Game Sevens do, this game had a large amount of hype surrounding it, but this was even more remarkable considering the circumstances. The Panthers dominated the first three games of the series to take a commanding 3-0 series lead and leave the Oilers for a presumed elimination. However, the Oilers battled their way back winning the next three games to set up Game Seven.
Tensions were high early in the contest as both teams knew how crucial the first goal was in a winner-take-all situation. Carter Verhaeghe, or Mr. Clutch as he is called in Florida, scored his 11th goal of the playoffs and the first goal of the game on a redirection off a shot from Anton Lundell. Then, just over two minutes later, the Oilers fought back as they had done all series, as Mattias Janmark scored off an assist from Cody Ceci. The rest of the period remained about as even as it could have been, as the shots on goal, hits, and time of possession were all separated by very slim margins. The score was no different as the teams went to their dressing rooms tied at 1-1.
In the second period, Edmonton was gifted an early power play chance after Panthers captain Matthew Tkachuk lost his footing and tripped an Edmonton skater, causing a tripping penalty to be called. However, the high-powered Edmonton power play was unable to capitalize on what would end up being their only opportunity of the night on the man advantage. The Panthers were able to gain momentum from that moment, and Sam Reinhart scored what would end up being the game-winning goal as he snuck a wrist shot under the arm of Stuart Skinner.
The third period was an all-out effort from Edmonton, but it was not enough. Panthers goalie Sergi Bobrovsky, who had been brilliant for the majority of the postseason, was exceptional when his team needed him most. The Oilers spent the majority of the third period on the attack but could not get anything past Bobrovsky. Eventually, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and company ran out of gas in the end, and the Florida Panthers held on to win the Stanley Cup. Before Monday night’s victory, Florida was 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Final, including a loss in last year’s Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who has been behind the bench for nearly 2,000 NHL games, finally captured his first Stanley Cup. As for the Oilers, their historic comeback fell just one goal short; however, Connor McDavid became just the sixth player in history to win the Conn Smythe or the NHL Playoff MVP Award on the losing team.
