For a third consecutive season, the Florida Panthers are on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers erased an early 2-0 deficit to win Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday, closing out the Eastern Conference Finals series.
Panthers fans are thrilled to be heading back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, Florida failed to get back to that position until two years ago, when it lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Things might not be as easy in the Finals as they’ll meet either the Oilers or Dallas Stars, both talented teams, but for now, they can relish a third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals win.
It is the third straight season that the Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.
On Wednesday, the Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals series, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit.
After Sebastian Aho scored two goals early in the game, Carolina appeared ready to extend the series, but Florida swiftly overcame that advantage and made it 3-2 with goals from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Anton Lundell in the second period.
After Seth Jarvis gave the Hurricanes a goal in the third, Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winning goal. The victory was sealed in the last minute by an open-net goal from Sam Bennett of Florida.
The Panthers are excited to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers had some early success as a team, but they struggled for the majority of the previous 20 years. Florida didn’t return to the Stanley Cup Finals after making it there in 1996 until they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago.
Last year, the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in a grueling seven-game series to finally win their first championship. They will now have the opportunity to win two straight.
For the remainder of the series, Florida dominated everything except for a defeat in Game 4. Including a 5-0 thumping in Game 2, the Panthers won the first three games of the series by three goals or more.
For the time being, they can celebrate winning the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in a row, but things might not be as simple in the Finals when they face the talented Dallas Stars or Oilers.
