The Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1996. And in the process, they took themselves out of some unwanted company.
The Panthers completed a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night to win the Eastern Conference Finals. This marks the first time the Panthers have ever completed a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Only four teams in the NHL have not completed a four-game sweep in the playoffs. Those teams are the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken, Arizona Coyotes, and Minnesota Wild.
The Panthers got the scoring started in a big way. Florida forward Anthony Duclair scored just 41 seconds into the game to give his team a huge 1-0 lead.
Panthers fans in attendance once again went crazy as Matthew Tkachuk extended their lead to 2-0. However, the Hurricanes stormed back. Goals from Paul Stastny and Teuvo Teravainen tied the game at 2.
Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg scored his first goal of the playoffs to put the Panthers back in front. And yet the Hurricanes remained resilient, pushing and pushing for an equalizer. With less than four minutes to go, they got their tying goal from Jesper Fast.
A late Hurricanes penalty from captain Jordan Staal gave Florida a huge power play late in the third period. With that man advantage, Tkachuk scored his second goal of the game with four seconds to go.
The Panthers are seeking their first Stanley Cup in team history. Florida fell in 1996 to the Colorado Avalanche, who were playing their first year in Denver after relocating from Quebec City.
The Panthers have been nothing short of inspirational in their run this year. Let's see if Florida can keep this up and lift the Stanley Cup in a few weeks' time.
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