The Florida Panthers secured their second consecutive Stanley Cup title with a commanding 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the finals on Tuesday night.
Florida has once again solidified itself as the most dominant team in the NHL with back-to-back victories in the Stanley Cup Finals, becoming just the 10th franchise in league history to accomplish this feat, per ESPN.
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart led the charge in Game 6 with four goals, including two empty-netters, becoming only the sixth player in NHL history to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Final game.
Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and an assist while Aleksander Barkov contributed two assists, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots on goal.
Sam Bennett, who led all playoff scorers with 15 goals, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
Bennett said after Game 6 that his “whole focus was on winning the Stanley Cup,” crediting every player on the Panthers’ roster for the team’s success.
“It’s a huge honor to be nominated as the MVP, but there truly are 25 MVPs on this team, and it could’ve gone to anyone,” he said, per The NHL.
“I’m obviously super grateful, it means the world to me, but I really couldn’t have done it without this whole group.”
The Oilers’ loss also continues Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, which has now extended to 32 years since the Montreal Canadiens’ last win in 1993.
Florida will celebrate its championship with a parade on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Fort Lauderdale. Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that it will “most likely” take place down A1A on Fort Lauderdale beach.
Shortly after the celebration period, the Panthers will begin the hunt for a third straight Stanley Cup, which, according to the NHL, has not been accomplished since the salary cap era began in the 2005-2006 season.
Panthers owner Vincent Viola has already addressed this possibility and said that a three-peat is the “standard of excellence” in the NHL.
“There’s no other course but seeking and winning the championship. There’s no other course. Everybody knows that, and they’re all committed to it,” he added, per The NHL.