The Stanley Cup is staying in the United States.
The Florida Panthers managed to eek out a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in an instant classic Game 7.
The Panthers victory on home ice foiled the Oilers attempt at a historic comeback. Had the visiting team won it would’ve been just the second time, and the first since 1942, that a team came back from 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sam Reinhart scored the game-winning goal on an odd-man rush in the second period. He beat Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner cleanly with just under five minutes left in the middle frame.
Welcome back to the goal column, Sam Reinhart! ☝️ pic.twitter.com/wPVggJlpCN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 25, 2024
The two teams traded goals in the opening frame. Carter Verhaeghe got things started for the Panthers just after their first power play expired. That lead didn’t last long as Mattias Janmark equalized for the Oilers shortly after.
The Panthers did a good job at limiting the Oilers stars as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman were all held without a point tonight.
The result means Canada’s Stanley Cup drought continues. No team from north of the border has brought home the sport’s ultimate trophy since 1993. This is the fifth time since then a Canadian team has made Game 7 of the final round but they have lost all of them.
McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP as he recorded a whopping 42 points during the postseason. However, the Panthers did a great job at keeping him off the scoresheet in Game 6 and 7 which helped power them to the victory.
The Panthers redeemed themselves after a loss in the Stanley Cup Final last season to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup. He passed the trophy off to veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky first. The netminder was excellent for much of the final series including Game 7 as he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced.
The 2023-24 NHL season is now complete and will the Stanley Cup Final will be remembered as one of the most exciting in history.
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