The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup last night, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2 to 1 in Game 7 of the NHL Finals. The Panthers' victory comes a year after their last shot at the Cup ended thanks to the Vegas Golden Knights and nearly 30 years since their first finals appearance in 1996.
The Panthers' Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each scored a goal, with Sergei Bobrovsky making 23 saves. The Oilers' Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff's most valuable player, becoming the first player from a losing team to receive the honor since the Anaheim Ducks' Jean-Sébastien Giguère in 2003 (see list). The Oilers had hoped to become the second team in NHL history since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the series and win the Cup.
The Stanley Cup is now back in Florida for the third time in five seasons—the Tampa Bay Lightning won in 2020 and 2021. See photos from last night here.
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