For the first time in their 31-year history, the Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions. An expansion team in 1993, the Panthers made their first playoff appearance in 1996 and went all the way to the Finals but lost. Since then, it had been nothing but disappointment for the Panthers. Stretches of years with missed playoffs, a bleak playoff history mixed in riddled with first round exits, all of that now overshadowed by the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers made it to the SCF a year ago but were clearly the inferior team losing in five games to the Las Vegas Knights. They were outmatched but knew they were building towards something special. A few years ago, the Panthers had a completely different looking team. They were an offensive-centric team built on goal scoring which worked for the most part but could never get them over the hump. Panthers General Manager, Bill Zito, knew that he would need to change his team if they wanted to reach the top of the mountain, because what they had wasn’t going to do it. Zito brought in Matthew Tkachuk in 2022, who was known for his physical play and his ability to get under his opponent’s skin. It was exactly what the Panthers needed. The Panthers got much more physical on the forecheck with a plan to choke teams out defensively and limit their offensive opportunities. Marry that with arguably the best goaltender in the world in Sergei Bobrovsky, and you’ve got a winning formula.
It was not an easy series to win for the Panthers, although it looked that way in the first three games as the Panthers built a cushy 3-0 series lead. The Oilers never lost their confidence as they felt unusually comfortable playing from behind. Edmonton did not play poorly in the first three games either, but when the goalie you are playing against is saving virtually everything it becomes tough to win. The Oilers broke through in Game 4 with eight goals, and that was the spark that almost led to one of the greatest comebacks (or collapses depending on which side you are on) in North American sports history. The Oilers went on to win games 5 & 6, and all the pressure sat solely on the back of the Panthers and Bobrovsky as they went back to Florida for Game 7. Bobrovsky seemed to have lost his rabbits foot as the Oilers were peppering the back of the net in the second half of the series. But Sergei silenced all with his performance last night, saving 23 of 24 shots.
After both teams traded quick goals in the 1st period, it felt like both teams settled into the game and played clean defense, until just under five minutes left in the 2nd period. The Oilers had a great chance to score with the puck bouncing in front of the net and Bobrovsky out of position, but could not swat it in. Florida regained possession and quickly advanced it up the ice which caught the Oilers out of position. Often times you will see a team get a great chance on offense but get so over-committed in that part of the ice that they don’t have enough time to get back in position to defend an opposing attack. This is exactly what ensued for Edmonton. The Oilers were not outmanned, but they were out of sorts which gave Sam Reinhart just enough time one-on-one with Bobrovsky to sneak one between his blocker and pad to score what would ultimately be the winning goal.
In Game 7’s like this, when a team takes a lead they go into time-killing mode. The question becomes, “How can they drain that clock out without allowing Edmonton to take the momentum back with a goal of their own?” Well, it all goes back to Zito in 2022 when he changed the identity of this team. This moment is exactly what the Panthers were built for. The Panthers defense put on a masterclass in the 3rd period as the Oilers went over eight minutes without registering a shot on goal. Florida’s forecheck got back to its games 1-3 form, physically bullying Edmonton and breaking their spirit one hit at a time. Edmonton had two golden chances in the later part of the 3rd, one that Connor McDavid is probably still replaying in his head. Bobrovsky was stretched as far as his legs would allow but still out of position as McDavid was two feet away from tying the game, but McDavid could not coral the puck and the opportunity fluttered away. Later on, the Oilers had Sergei on his back and without his stick trying to make saves, but the Panthers defense put their body on the line by blocking a shot that was headed for a discombobulated Bobrovsky. With under two minutes left the Oilers pulled goalie Stuart Skinner in a last gasp attempt to keep the game alive, but it was clear that the comeback had caught up with Edmonton. They looked beyond exhausted just trying to scrape any sort of momentum together to get one last look at the net, but they could barely get up the ice. Multiple turnovers off of lazy passes helped drain the clock before the Panthers fittingly trapped it up against the boards as they’ve done so many times to let the final seconds tick off.
Canada will have to wait another year to get a chance to bring the cup back up north. The storyline of an Oilers comeback from down 0-3 would have been one the Panthers would have never escaped. Luckily for them, their names are now etched on the Stanley Cup instead of in infamy.
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