The Florida Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 and captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup. In doing so, the Panthers have become just the third team in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016-17) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-21).
Veteran forward Sam Reinhart paced the Panthers with a hat-trick performance (four goals total) in the series-clinching Game 6. Reinhart extended his point streak to four consecutive games and tallied six goals and three assists over that span. It also marked the second consecutive season in which Reinhart scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was sensational throughout the night, stopping every shot that he faced.
Just 4:36 into the opening period, the Panthers were able to get onto the scoreboard. After Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard turned the puck over at his own blue line, Reinhart was able to stickhandle around Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm and found the back of the net.
With Reinhart's goal, Florida also became the eighth team in NHL history to score 90 goals in a single postseason.
In the final minute of the opening period, the Panthers gave themselves even more of a cushion. Florida forward Eetu Luostarinen remained patient as the play developed and ultimately found a wide-open Matthew Tkachuk in the slot for a snapshot goal on Skinner's glove side.
The Panthers scored 13 first-period goals in six Stanley Cup Final games, outscoring the Oilers by nine goals in those first periods. That trend allowed them to jump out to an early advantage on Tuesday.
Florida was also able to add another insurance goal late in the second period to help put Game 6 out of reach.
After Carter Verhaeghe put a lackluster shot on net, Stuart Skinner wasn't able to catch the puck or deflect it to the corner. Instead, the puck bounced out to Aleksander Barkov, who threw the puck on the net, and it ultimately deflected off of Sam Reinhart into the net.
With their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory, the Panthers also became just the fourth team in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups against the same opponent. They are the first team to beat the same opponent in back-to-back seasons since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins in 1977 and 1978.
Bobrovsky stands tall
A franchise goaltender makes a world of difference for any championship-contending team, and the Panthers were able to depend on theirs when the lights were the brightest in the Stanley Cup Final. Entering Game 6, Bobrovsky allowed just one goal in the previous game, but did have his fair share of struggles throughout this series.
However, Bobrovsky produced arguably his most impressive performance of the 2025 postseason when the Panthers needed him the most. The Florida netminder stopped 28 of the 29 shots that he faced in Game 6. Bobrovsky appeared to be locked in from the opening face-off this time around. Whether it was making a pad save on an Evan Bouchard drive in a four-on-four situation or getting some help from his teammates, Bobrovsky was able to make key save after key save to keep the Oilers off the scoreboard despite two of the sport's top stars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl attempting to put the puck past him.
Bennett a deserving Conn Smythe winner
Winger Sam Bennett became the first player in Panthers history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which honors the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Since 2000, Bennett's 15 goals were the second-most in a single postseason behind only Oilers forward Zach Hyman (16) in 2024.
Bennett had a knack for putting the puck in the net, but he also was tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead in points (22). The Panthers star totaled five goals and an assist throughout the Stanley Cup Final, which was highlighted by a two-goal performance in a Game 1 overtime loss.
This postseason couldn't have come at a better time for Bennett considering that he's set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Bennett was such an integral part of Florida's success throughout their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs but will likely command a large pay day on the open market in the offseason. The Panthers likely will attempt to do whatever they can in order to keep Bennett and the rest of this group together, but tough decisions will likely have to be made. For now, Bennett just wrapped up a postseason for the ages.
Last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup? Oilers fall two wins short of ending drought with Game 6 loss
Austin Nivison
Panthers' deadline moves loom large
It's been a long road for the Panthers to get to Tuesday's Stanley Cup-clinching victory. Following the 4 Nations Face-Off, forward Matthew Tkachuk's status was up in the air after he suffered a lower-body injury in the round-robin tournament's final. However, after sitting out the second half of the regular season, Tkachuk was ready to go when the Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway back in April.
Considering that Tkachuk's health was up in the air prior to the regular season's conclusion, Panthers general manager Bill Zito decided to be aggressive at the trade deadline. Florida ended up acquiring veteran defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick. Zito wasn't done: he also landed Brad Marchand in a trade with the Boston Bruins just before the 3 p.m. deadline. In a span of days, the Panthers had added two high-profile players that possessed big game experience.
Jones' presence on the back end really helped stabilize Florida's defensive unit, but Marchand was the definition of a true difference-maker in the postseason. Marchand finished the Stanley Cup Playoffs as just the seventh player to score five-plus goals in multiple Stanley Cup Finals, while also being the only player to accomplish that feat with multiple teams after doing it with the Boston Bruins. He registered six goals in the Stanley Cup Final alone, including a game-winning double overtime goal in Game 2. If the Panthers traveled back to South Florida in an 0-2 hole, perhaps the series would've went in a completely different direction.
The Panthers finished in third place in the Atlantic Division, but this was a team that was built for the postseason. The front office loaded up with even more depth and it made a massive difference in each round.
