The "Florida Panthers" hockey players won their second consecutive Stanley Cup title, defeating the "Edmonton Oilers" in the final series. This was reported by UNN with reference to NBC News.
Details
In the sixth game of the NHL final, "Florida" defeated its opponent with a score of 5:1, ending the series in its favor. This is the third final in a row for the "Panthers", which coincides with the appointment of head coach Paul Maurice.
A key role in the decisive victory was played by Sam Reinhart, who opened the scoring in the first period, and later scored three more goals. Matthew Tkachuk doubled the advantage, and then Reinhart brought the score to 5:0. His four goals equaled Maurice Richard's 1957 record for goals in a final series.
Carter Verhege had three assists. Sam Bennett was named the most valuable player of the playoffs, scoring 15 goals – the highest показатель in this year's розыгрыше.
It's incredible. It's a feeling that cannot be described. Such an incredible group. Everyone wrote us off from the very beginning of the playoffs. They tried to defeat us in every round, and we had this fire, and we knew we had something special.
Additionally
"Edmonton" scored only at the end of the game, when "Florida" had already scored five goals, including three into Stuart Skinner's goal and two into an empty net.
After this victory, "Florida" became the 10th team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup two years in a row. The last time this happened was with "Tampa Bay" in the 2020/21 season. This success also continued the dominance of the "Sun Belt" teams: 10 of the last 21 champions represent the southern states of the USA.
Let us remind you
"Florida" finished the regular season fifth in the Eastern Conference, and "Edmonton" – sixth in the West. In the playoffs, both teams overcame the tournament favorites with the highest-scoring attack. The "Panthers" also had the lowest average goals conceded – 2.5 per game.
Despite the individual skill of Connor McDavid, who has not won a single trophy in 10 years with the "Oilers", the Canadian club was again left without a championship. Canada has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993.