Site MapHow The Panthers Won Game 7 & the Stanley Cup
All the pressure was on the Panthers & they delivered in Game 7 so how’d they do it?
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final was one to remember. It came down to the final seconds and was a tight, slow, and defense-first type of game. The Florida Panthers held on to a 2-1 lead and defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
WE ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!! pic.twitter.com/Yr17FW7AhM
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 25, 2024
The Panthers were on the ropes heading into Game 7. They lost three in a row and looked poised to become the first team to lose the Final in a reverse sweep since 1942. Yet, they held on to win the Cup. So, what happened for them to secure the title and defeat an Oilers team with all the momentum?
Bobrovsky’s Brilliant Performance
In the first three games of the series, Sergei Bobrovsky looked like the Conn Smythe trophy favorite. The Panthers goaltender saved 82 of the 86 shots he faced, blanking the Oilers potent offense. Then he struggled, allowing 12 goals on 58 shots.
When the Panthers needed him to step up, he delivered and in Game Seven, he delivered alright. He saved 23 shots and was lights out in the third period with nine saves, some of which were highlight reel ones.
Connor McDavid was the Conn Smythe winner as the playoffs MVP. Yet, it’s hard to ignore Bobrovsky’s closing argument which was a convincing one.
Barkov & Defense Deliver
Along with Bobrovsky’s great game, the defensive unit showed up for the series finale. They blocked 17 shots and didn’t give the Oilers many scoring chances. They weren’t going to let the Oilers top skaters beat them and it was clear early on that they were on a mission to blank them near the goal.
On top of that, Aleksander Barkov stepped up as the center tasked with shadowing McDavid. He eliminated the best skater in the series, who scored eight points in Game Five and Game Six, limiting him to zero in the last two games. As the center in the middle of the ice, Barkov provided no space to operate and it allowed the Panthers to control the pace.
Panthers Saw Their Scorers Finally Make Their Mark
Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart scored 91 goals this season. In the playoffs, they combined for 19 goals. They were invisible in the Final, with only two goals in the first six games. Then came Game Seven.
The first period is when Verhaeghe found the back of the net on a big deflection. The puck was flipped to the net by Evan Rodrigues and he tipped the puck, allowing it to change directions, and land in the goal. Then came the game-winner. Reinhart carrying the puck on the rush had room to shoot the puck and zip it to the back of the net.
All series, the depth was generating offense for the Panthers. In the biggest game of the series, they needed their star scorers to deliver and they did. Reinhart and Verhaeghe led the team in goals this season and in the playoffs, making them fittingly, the two players to find the goal in the winner-take-all game.
Ultimately, It Was a Textbook Panthers Win
The Panthers won games like this all season long, with defense, forechecking, and by allowing the clock to wind down. It’s a testament to how they are coached as they have bought into a defense-first system.
It was fitting that Game Seven ended with the puck pinned along the boards. Time ran out and the Panthers became the Stanley Cup champions.
