Redemption: How a bitter loss in 2023 helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup in 2024
After losing to Vegas in five games last season, the Panthers retooled and refocused to earn the first Stanley Cup in franchise history 12 months later.
The Florida Panthers reached the pinnacle of hockey on Monday night, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 to earn their first Stanley Cup. One year ago, they were on the other side, watching the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate in Las Vegas. All of the bad feelings after being dominated by Vegas led to a busy offseason, a meaningful deadline, and a postseason run that will live in immortality. Here's how the Florida Panthers turned a low moment into a Stanley Cup victory.
The Stanley Cup Final loss to Vegas led to some serious turnover.
Following an embarrassing loss in Game 5 in the final game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers got very busy. Once free agency began, they saw quite a bit of turnover. Gone were veterans like Radko Gudas, Eric and Marc Staal, Patric Hornqvist, and Colin White. After barely making the playoffs in the first place, the Panthers knew they needed to do something to remain competitive in the stacked Atlantic Division.
The clear focus was on the defense. The first day on the open market saw them sign Niko Mikkola and Dmitry Kulikov, among others. The name that stood out the most was Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Just weeks prior, Ekman-Larsson had been bought out by the Vancouver Canucks. General Manager Bill Zito decided to take a chance on the veteran defenseman, signing him to a one-year deal.
Among that group of signings was also forward Evan Rodrigues. After playing on three teams over the last four seasons, Rodrigues signed for four years, giving him a little more permanency. The team also signed Anthony Stolarz to back up Sergei Bobrovsky and traded Anthony Duclair to the Sharks for Steven Lorentz to give them a little more cap flexibility.
The Cats rule the Atlantic Division
The Panthers engaged in a season-long battle with the Boston Bruins for division supremacy. While the Bruins came out of the gates hot, the Panthers never let them get too far ahead, sitting in the shadows to pounce on their opponent.
There were many more highs than lows for the Panthers this season. Sam Reinhart was a big part of it. In the final year of his contract, Reinhart was a scoring machine, finishing second in the league in goals (57) while leading the way with 27 goals on the power play. He also ended the season with a team-high 94 points.
As they jockeyed with the Bruins for the division crown, the Panthers made sure to add at the trade deadline. They made two moves to sure up their forward group, acquiring veterans Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo. While Okposo only played in six games after the deadline, Tarasenko made an impact, scoring 14 points in 19 games. The division title came down to the final week, but the Panthers came out victorious, winning their final four games, while the Bruins lost three of their last four.
The Florida Panthers run to the Stanley Cup
With a division crown in their back pocket, the Panthers began the postseason with a Sunshine State battle against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a pair of tight victories, the offenses exploded in the final three games of the series. The Bolts were able to avoid the sweep with a Game 4 win, but the Panthers ended the series with an emphatic 6-1 win in Game 5 to advance. Former Bolt Carter Verhaeghe finished with five goals and tied Matthew Tkachuk with nine points.
Next on their ledger was a rematch against the Boston Bruins in the second round. As the underdogs last season, the Panthers upset the Bruins in the first round, coming back from 3-1 down to win in overtime in Game 7. This time around, the Panthers were no longer the underdogs. The Bruins handed it to the Cats in Game 1, but Sergei Bobrovsky was lights out the rest of the way. The Vezina finalist allowed just eight goals in the final five games as the Panthers returned to the conference finals with a six-game victory.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Panthers met the President's Trophy-winning New York Rangers. After Sergei Bobrovsky shut out the Rangers 3-0 in Game 1, the Panthers found themselves behind in a series for the first time once the Rangers took Games 2 and 3 in overtime. A Sam Reinhart overtime winner in Game 4 helped to even the series before Bobrovsky outdueled Igor Shesterkin. Both goalies were phenomenal, but the Cats wouldn't be denied a return to the Stanley Cup Final, winning in six games.
This year's Stanley Cup Final has been touted as one of the best in recent memory. The Panthers were in clear control early in the series, jumping out to a 3-0 series lead behind more spectacular goaltending. An 8-1 win for the Oilers in Game 4 to keep the series alive almost led to one of the most unbelievable collapses in sports history. The Oilers worked their way back into the series and forced a Game 7, only for the Panthers to shut the door on the comeback by winning 2-1 on Monday night.
In just 12 months, the Panthers went from experiencing heartbreak to storming the ice to celebrate with the Stanley Cup. Though he didn't win the Conn Smythe, Sergei Bobrovsky was outstanding. Offseason addition Evan Rodrigues had a coming out party in the finals, notching a series-high four goals. Aleksander Barkov, this year's Selke winner, made sure Connor McDavid was an afterthought in Game 7. Paul Maurice finally got to experience life on top of the mountain. This was a deserving Panthers team who took lessons from their finals loss and turned it into an incredible moment.
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