SUNRISE, Fla. — — Aleksander Barkov put his arms at both finish of the Stanley Cup and started skating away to begin the celebration that the Florida Panthers have wished perpetually.
And as he started to hoist hockey’s chalice for the primary time, he had one thought.
“It is heavy,” he mentioned.
A 37-pound trophy wasn’t an excessive amount of for him. A 3-game slide wasn’t an excessive amount of for the Panthers. There was no stumble with the Cup, no collapse with the Cup on the road. The Panthers are champions for the primary time, after taking concerning the hardest path attainable to the title.
Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe scored targets, Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday evening in Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup Closing. It was the third title-round look in Florida’s 30-year historical past; it was swept in 1996 by Colorado and routed 4-1 by Vegas final season. And that loss final yr was what this workforce wanted.
“It’s important to undergo it first,” ahead Matthew Tkachuk mentioned, “to know what it takes to get it finished.”
This time, they have been on the appropriate aspect of historical past — after avoiding what would have been a historic collapse. The Panthers received the primary three video games of the collection, then misplaced the subsequent three and wanted a win on Monday to keep away from becoming a member of the 1942 Detroit Purple Wings as the one groups to lose the ultimate after taking a 3-0 lead within the title spherical.
“It isn’t what I believed it could be,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice mentioned. “It is so a lot better.”
It wasn’t simple. Not even shut. But it surely’s finished.
Barkov handed the Cup to Bobrovsky and the celebration was on. It took till the very finish for the Panthers to disclaim Connor McDavid his first title, and Edmonton what would have been its first Cup since 1990.
“You wish to develop into a real champion and also you wish to win,” mentioned Bobrovsky, a champion for the primary time at 35. “However on the finish of the day, you do not do it for the Cups. You do it for the love of the sport.”
McDavid received the Conn Smythe as MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He did not come out for the trophy. It isn’t the one he wished, anyway. The Cup is what they play for, and it was Florida that hoisted it.
“No participant on the planet desires to win the Stanley Cup greater than him,” Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl mentioned of McDavid, who had one of many best particular person postseasons in NHL historical past with 42 factors. “He does every little thing proper, each single day.”
However the Panthers did a little bit extra proper on Monday. And that is the distinction.
“It’s not a dream anymore. It’s not a dream. It’s actuality,” mentioned Tkachuk, who bought traded to Florida two summers in the past with this as his aim. “I can’t imagine it. I can’t imagine it. … I can’t imagine how good these two years have been. So grateful for this group of men. It’s the perfect place, greatest guys. It’s one thing actually particular right here with what now we have.”
Mattias Janmark had the aim for Edmonton and Stuart Skinner stopped 19 pictures for the Oilers. The Oilers additionally couldn’t snap Canada’s title drought; it’s been 1993 and counting since a workforce primarily based in Canada received the Cup.
Montreal was the final to take action, 30 seasons in the past. Since then, there have been seven makes an attempt by groups from Canadian-based cities — Vancouver in 1994 and 2011, Calgary in 2004, the Oilers in 2006, Ottawa in 2007 and the Canadiens in 2021 — to win titles, and all have been in useless.
South Florida now has considered one of every little thing in terms of titles from the 4 main professional sports activities leagues within the U.S. The Miami Dolphins have been champions twice, the then-Florida Marlins have been champions twice, the Miami Warmth have three titles and now the Panthers have joined the social gathering.
Welcome, Stanley. The Panthers have been ready. Maurice hoisted the Cup by the bench, closed his eyes tight to regulate the emotion and set free a yell. Basic supervisor Invoice Zito did not hassle even making an attempt to not let the yell out. And within the stands, Tkachuk’s household — his father, Keith, by no means received a Cup — reveled within the second, realizing their surname will quickly be on Lord Stanley.
“That is for them,” Tkachuk mentioned.
Bobrovsky was as cool as could possibly be, even within the largest moments. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard had a superb look from the appropriate circle with about 14 seconds left within the second interval; Bobrovsky blocked the shot, and the puck bounced off him and into the air.
No downside. Bobrovsky took his stick and batted the puck away once more, extra like he was enjoying morning pickleball at a park than within the largest recreation of his life — actually, the final line of protection in opposition to the Oilers, and in opposition to a chunk of historical past that the Panthers desperately fought to keep away from.
Florida led this title collection 3-0, then bought outscored 18-5 in Video games 4, 5 and 6 to waste three possibilities at profitable the Cup. Edmonton was one win away from turning into the second workforce in NHL historical past to win the Cup after dropping the primary three video games; Toronto did it to Detroit in 1942, and no workforce has pulled off such a comeback since.
Edmonton virtually did it. Virtually.
“They need to have their heads up excessive,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned. “There’s heaps to be pleased with.”
The Panthers introduced in seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette — she was born in Canada and have become a twin U.S. citizen in 2005 — to sing the nationwide anthems. Hardly anyone may hear her; the Oilers followers drowned her out for “O Canada,” the Panthers followers did the identical for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That they had Panthers legend Roberto Luongo bang the ceremonial bass drum after that; he urged followers to “let’s go” with an additional phrase in there that wanted to be bleeped just a few instances.
“Now we have an awesome workforce on our aspect,” mentioned Luongo, whose quantity was retired by the Panthers and is now a part of the workforce’s entrance workplace. “And the boys actually dug deep.”
The pregame was raucous. The stage was set.
And the groups got here out completely ablaze.
The Panthers bought the primary aim simply 4:27 into the sport when Verhaeghe waved his stick on the puck that was fired in from the left aspect by Evan Rodrigues and bought simply sufficient to redirect it previous Skinner for a 1-0 lead — the primary Florida lead because the finish of Recreation 3.
They waited greater than per week to be again on high. They stayed there for simply over two minutes.
Janmark bought behind the Florida protection and beat Bobrovsky over the appropriate shoulder at 6:44, knotting issues proper again up and making certain that this Recreation 7 of the ultimate — like all 17 of the earlier such video games — wouldn’t finish 1-0.
It stayed that method by wild ebbs and flows — the Oilers managed lengthy stretches, the Panthers would counter, forwards and backwards — till Reinhart scored late within the second to place Florida up 2-1. It capped a loopy sequence, one the place Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov wound up within the internet to assist forestall an Edmonton aim seconds earlier than Reinhart beat Skinner. The aim was Reinhart’s 67th of the season, extending his Florida single-season file, and it was as much as the Panthers to make it maintain up.
“The willpower,” Maurice mentioned, “was clear.”
Florida was an NHL-best 44-0-3 coming into Monday when main after two durations this season. An NHL-best 85-2-6 in that scenario within the two seasons below coach Maurice, too.
They slammed the door, one final time. And the Cup was their reward.
“That is the perfect second of my life up to now,” veteran Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad mentioned. “Nothing tops it.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL