In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, Carter Verhaeghe led the Florida Panthers to a title-clinching 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers with one goal and one assist.
The Panthers, who had to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in team history, were led by Sam Reinhart in the game. With Edmonton’s loss, there have been 31 years since a Canadian club has taken home the Stanley Cup. The Cup was last taken to the North by the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Since then, teams from Canadian cities have had seven unsuccessful efforts to win titles: the Canadiens in 2021, Vancouver in 1994 and 2011, Calgary in 2004, the Oilers in 2006, Ottawa in 2007, and Vancouver in 2011.
For the Panthers, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 stops, nine of which came in the last period. With seven minutes left, he made the biggest play of his career—a diving stop on Zach Hyman amid a scramble in his net.
Edmonton’s goaltender Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots, but Mattias Janmark scored the game’s only goal. For the second straight game, Connor McDavid, the captain of Edmonton, was held scoreless.
It’s no longer a dream. This isn’t a dream. Forward Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers, who was moved to Florida two summers ago with a championship as his objective, stated, “It’s a reality. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable to me. How wonderful these past two years have been is beyond words. I’m really grateful for these folks. Best dudes, this is the place to be. With all we have, this place is truly unique.
The Oilers had lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final on their previous two trips, while trying to become only the second club in history and the first since 1942 to win after falling behind 3-0 in the series. In their 2006 matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team similarly came up short.
At 15:11 in the second quarter, Reinhart gave Florida their second lead of the game. After a flurry of action at both ends that saw the Oilers come dangerously close to scoring, Reinhart led a rush up ice and found the goal from just outside the right faceoff dot for his 10th of the postseason.
With just four shots on goal throughout the third period and just two in the last 14:43, the Oilers dominated the game. Nevertheless, in a tight match, Edmonton was unable to equalize despite a flurry of activity at the Florida net.
The experienced defender Aaron Ekblad of the Panthers commented, “This is the best moment of my life so far.” “It is the best of all.”
Just over two minutes separated the teams’ scores in the opening frame. The Panthers took the lead thanks to Verhaeghe’s first goal since he began the scoring in Game 1 of the championship series. At 4:27, he deflected Evan Rodrigues’ shot to score his 11th goal of the postseason. At 6:44, Janmark responded with his second of the series and fourth of the postseason, finishing off a breakaway opportunity with a superb shot.
The Oilers are just the second team in history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in the finals before losing the decisive match, as opposed to making history with a successful comeback. In 1945, three years after the Maple Leafs overcame the Red Wings in the finals by coming back from a three-game deficit, the Detroit Red Wings forced the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Game 7.
Conn Smythe was awarded to McDavid as the Stanley Cup playoff MVP. He didn’t show up to claim the award. In any case, it’s not the one he desired. They compete for the Cup, which was lifted by Florida.