But no crisis! The Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup for the first time - after losing all of Games 4 to 6. But in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers, Florida prevails 2:1.
25.06.2024, 11:06
SDA
Carter Verhaege scored the 1:0 and set up the 2:1. Sam Reinhart scored the ultimately decisive 2:1 in the 35th minute. And Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky prevented another turnaround with nine saves in the final period.
The Stanley Cup thus goes to the Miami region for the first time and remains in southern climes. One year after the triumph of the Vegas Golden Knights, based in Paradise, Nevada, the trophy, which weighs around 20 kilograms and is 90 centimetres high, has moved on in an atypical direction for ice hockey, to the southernmost base of all NHL franchises. With the Panthers, the second team from Florida has also arrived at the top of the world's best league. Four and three years ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning won their second and third Stanley Cups.
First triumph in the third final
For the Panthers, the big win came at the third attempt, following clear defeats in their first two appearances in the final. 28 years ago, in only their third season after joining the National Hockey League, the team from Sunrise, around 50 kilometers north of Miami, lost 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche, and twelve months ago they lost 4-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Panthers finished the regular season as the fifth-best team. In the playoffs, however, the team of Canadian coach Paul Maurice was in top form. In the three series leading up to the final, they were never in serious danger of failing. They only trailed twice after winning; in the quarter-final against the Boston Bruins they lost the first game, in the semi-final against the New York Rangers the score was 1:2 to their disadvantage after three games.
Edmonton's comeback not rewarded
In the final series against the Oilers, the Panthers laid the foundation for their first Stanley Cup triumph with two clear home victories, extending their lead with a 4-3 win on their first visit to Edmonton. Although they lost the following three games, the Panthers were able to respond.
The Toronto Maple Leafs thus remain the only team to have managed to become champions after winning 0-3 in the playoff final. The Maple Leafs achieved this 82 years ago. The Oilers were beaten for the third time in their eighth appearance in the final. The last Stanley Cup victory was 34 years ago. The first four trophies were won by the team from the capital of the province of Alberta in the 1980s, during the era of the "Great One" Wayne Gretzky.
One trophy ultimately went to the Oilers after all, amidst all the jubilation. Connor McDavid, the playoff top scorer (with 8 goals and 34 assists), received the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs - although McDavid was ineffective in the seventh game. He became only the sixth player from the losing team to win the MVP title. The last time goalkeeper Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks achieved this 21 years ago, losing the final in seven games to the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
