The Florida Panthers have made it to the Stanley Cup Final, and now have a chance to cap off their historic run with a long-awaited championship.
Before the playoffs started, no one expected the Panthers to go anywhere near as far as they have. They had an up and down regular season, and barely snuck into the playoffs thanks to a late push and the Pittsburgh Penguins collapsing. With the Panthers facing the record-setting Boston Bruins, and going down 3-1 in the series, it seemed like they were in for another early playoff exit.
As we all know now though, that's not what happened. The Panthers clawed back from that series deficit and won Game 7 in overtime to stun the Bruins and the hockey world. After that, they thrashed both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes in one of the most impressive runs in recent memory.
To cap off that run, though, they'll have to get through the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas has been on an impressive run of their own, finishing as the best team in the Western Conference in the regular season and not facing elimination once in the playoffs. The Panthers are underdogs once again in this series, but they seem to like it that way.
With that said, here are three reasons why the Panthers will win the Stanley Cup Final.
3. Matthew Tkachuk's clutch factor
In his first season in Florida, Matthew Tkachuk has emerged as one of the very best players in the league. He set career-highs in the regular season with 40 goals and 109 points, finishing as a Hart Trophy Finalist. And yet, even that pales in comparison to what he has done throughout these playoffs.
Tkachuk leads the Panthers with nine goals and 21 points, and has come up huge when he needed to. In Game 5 against Boston, he took advantage of a turnover by Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark to win the game in overtime and keep the Panthers' season alive; sparking this magical run. He also scored overtime winners in Games 1 and 2 against Carolina, the former ending a four-overtime marathon. He then broke the Hurricanes' hearts once again in Game 4, scoring the series-clinching goal in the final seconds.
That's not even getting into Tkachuk's other biggest strength, his ability to get under the opponent's skin. He's one of the best agitators in the game today, able to goad opponents into making mistakes they wouldn't otherwise. With other strong agitators such as Sam Bennett and Radko Gudas alongside him, the Panthers have become a very frustrating team to play against. It has helped them tremendously in this run.
If Tkachuk comes up big again, the Panthers will be in very good shape this series.
2. Sergei Bobrovsky is on fire
Sergei Bobrovsky's redemption in these playoffs has been incredible to watch. Before, many derided him for not playing up to his massive contract, which many felt held Florida back. He wasn't even the starting goalie heading into the playoffs, as Alex Lyon's late-season run got him the nod. It was only after Lyon struggled against Boston that Bobrovsky got a chance, and he has made the most of it.
Bobrovsky hasn't just been one of, if not the, best goalies this postseason, he has taken the league by storm. He has an 11-2 record in 13 games played, a .935 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average. He has also saved 19.7 goals above expected, by far the most of any goalie in the playoffs. Bobrovsky may have two Vezina Trophies under his belt, but he is playing the best hockey of his life right now.
It's telling that even with Tkachuk's heroics, Bobrovsky is the clear favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy. If he can steal another game or two, he will cement his name in NHL playoff lore.
1. Team of destiny
The term “team of destiny” pops up a lot, but this is a case where it might be justified. The Panthers' run has been almost unbelievable, to the point where it feels like fate itself is guiding them to the Stanley Cup.
In fact, their run has drawn comparisons to a certain other “team of destiny,” the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. That team also barely snuck into the playoffs as an eighth seed, beat the President's Trophy winners in the first round and plowed their way to the final. No one gave either team a chance heading into the playoffs, but they still won regardless.
That Kings team won the cup, and if the Panthers keep playing like they have, they will as well.
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