By Ashley Scharge
NEW YORK, NY — The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in game six of the Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday night, to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. Sam Reinhart scored at 4:36 of the first period, his first of four goals. Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. Bennett’s playoff performance included 15 goals (13 on the road) and seven assists across 23 games, leading the NHL.
Following the game, Bennett praised the team’s impressive depth, highlighted many players’ exceptional playoff performances, and noted that the Conn Smythe trophy could have been awarded to various players.
Carter Verhaeghe had three assists, Aleksander Barkov had two assists, and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for the Panthers. Reinhart tied the record for most goals in a Stanley Cup clinching win. He also had the first four-goal and hat-trick in Florida Panthers playoff history.
The Florida Panthers became the first franchise in 33 years to win each of their two Stanley Cup Championships consecutively and the seventh in NHL history. The Panthers join the New York Islanders 1980,1981,1982 & 1983. The Pittsburgh Penguins were victorious in 1991 and 1992.
The Philadelphia Flyers 1974 & 1975, Detroit Red Wings 1936 & 1937, and the Original Ottawa Senators 1920 & 1921.
Image Credit: NHL
The Florida Panthers finished with a 12-4 record, tied an NHL record for most road wins with 10. Florida also became the third team in NHL history to capture the Stanley Cup after winning four series as the lower seed. Only the 2012 Los Angeles Kings and 1995 New Jersey Devils accomplished that.
Coach Paul Maurice in the postgame celebration said this is “special, glad we won.”
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