#NHLPeachy #FloridaPeachy @NHL #NHLStats Pack: Panthers Conquer the Hunt Again for Stanley Cup Repeat
Just over eight months after raising the 2024 Stanley Cup banner as a symbol of redemption honoring “the team that conquered the hunt,” the Panthers lived up to their self-proclaimed new standard of hockey in South Florida by capturing a second straight championship. Florida became the 10th franchise in NHL history to repeat as champions, with teams from the “Sunshine State” accounting for each of the last two instances.
Back-to-Back
* The Panthers became the first franchise in 33 years to win each of their first two Stanley Cups consecutively and seventh in NHL history. They joined the Islanders (4; 1980, 1981, 1982 & 1983), Penguins (1991 & 1992), Oilers (1984 & 1985), Flyers (1974 & 1975), Red Wings (1936 & 1937) and original Ottawa Senators (1920 & 1921).
Depth Scoring
* The Panthers had 19 unique goal scorers and became the sixth Stanley Cup-winning team in NHL history with as many, following the 2019 Blues (20), 1995 Devils (20), 1991 Penguins (20), 1984 Oilers (20) and 1987 Oilers (19). Florida also had a League record-tying six players with 20-plus points.
Comeback Cats
* The Panthers posted a 12-4 record since facing a 2-0 series deficit in the Second Round and outscored opponents by a combined 68-35 margin over that span. Florida was the third team in NHL history to rally from a 2-0 series deficit en route to becoming a repeat champion, following the 1992 Penguins and 1966 Canadiens.
Brought it Home
* Florida became the eighth team in NHL history – and first since Edmonton 37 years ago – to repeat as Stanley Cup champions by clinching both on home ice. The Panthers led for 55:36 during their Cup-clinching win and for 255:49 in the entire Final.
Road Warriors
* The Panthers tied an NHL record for most road wins (10-3), set an NHL record for most road goals (61) and posted a 4.69 goals-per-game rate, the highest ever by a team that played at least 10 road games (a group that includes 95 teams).
FLORIDA FOILED FOUR HIGHER-SEEDED OPPONENTS ON WAY TO STANLEY CUP
The Panthers (3rd in Atlantic Division) became the third team in NHL history to capture the Stanley Cup after winning four series as the lower-seeded club, following the 2012 Kings and 1995 Devils. Florida’s four series wins as the lower seed were two more than the most by any other repeat champion in League history (2 by 2021 TBL, 1992 PIT, 1983 NYI, 1949 TOR & 1931 MTL).
BARKOV ACHIEVES MORE FIRST-OF-THEIR-KIND FEATS BY CAPTAINING FLORIDA TO ANOTHER CUP
Named to Finland’s preliminary roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 the day before the clinching win, Aleksander Barkov captained the Panthers to a Stanley Cup for the second time in as many years.
* Barkov became the second player in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup and Frank J. Selke Trophy during the same season multiple times (also 2023-24), following Bob Gainey (1978-79 & 1977-78).
* Barkov was named Panthers captain on Sept. 17, 2018, and has guided the team to 12 series wins, three Final appearances, two Stanley Cups and one Presidents’ Trophy over that span. He became the third player in the last 30 years to win multiple championships through his first seven seasons as captain of a franchise, joining Jonathan Toews (2015 CHI, 2013 CHI & 2010 CHI) and Dustin Brown (2014 LAK & 2012 LAK).
Sam's Club: Bennett, Reinhart follow up 4 nations face-off win with another cup
Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart followed up their 4 Nations Face-Off championship for Canada alongside then-rival Brad Marchand by securing a second straight Stanley Cup, with Bennett capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy and Reinhart recording four goals in the title-clinching win. Click here for a detailed look at Bennett’s Conn Smythe Trophy-winning playoff performance.
* Bennett had several record-setting performances in the Stanley Cup Final en route to concluding the postseason with a League-leading 15 goals, including an NHL-record 13 on the road. Bennett’s 15 tallies overall were tied for the second highest single-postseason total among active players and four back of the League record.
* Bennett and Reinhart became the third set of teammates over the last 20 years to win multiple Stanley Cups and at least one NHL International Tournament title together. They joined Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point (2020 & 2021 TBL; 4 Nations Face-Off) as well as Corey Crawford and Jonathan Toews (2013 & 2015 CHI; 2016 World Cup of Hockey).
* Reinhart, who made history alongside his “brothers for life” Bennett and Aaron Ekblad last year when the Panthers became the first Stanley Cup-winning team with three of the top four picks from the same NHL Draft, achieved another rare feat by following up his historic 67-goal campaign (regular season & playoffs, including the Cup clincher) with 50 this season – earning a spot on Canada’s preliminary roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
* Reinhart finished the playoffs on a four-game goal streak, scoring all seven of his goals against the Oilers in that span. His seven goals were the most by any player in a Stanley Cup Final in 40 years and tied for the most by any player in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1968), equaling Wayne Gretzky (7 in 1985) and Mike Bossy (7 in 1982).
Marchand wins first Cup since vanquishing Vancouver, Luongo 14 years ago
Brad Marchand, who had two goals in Boston’s championship-clinching win in Game 7 of the 2011 Final (including one against Panthers’ executive Roberto Luongo), exceeded his Final goal output 14 years later to become the fifth player in NHL history to go that long between Stanley Cups. Marchand, who was occasionally fueled by a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Treat from Dairy Queen and peppered with plastic rats following wins, concluded the postseason with 20 points.
* Marchand opened the Stanley Cup Final with four tallies through the first three contests, bookended by the double-overtime winner to cap a multi-goal performance in Game 2. He then tallied twice in Game 5 – including the highlight-reel goal below – and became first player in League history to score five-plus markers in multiple Final series with different teams. Marchand was also the first NHL player in more than 100 years with five-plus road goals in a Final and just the third all-time.
* Marchand was cheered on by longtime teammate Patrice Bergeron and captured a Stanley Cup with A.J. Greer as well as Tomas Nosek, all members of the NHL record-breaking Boston team that fell to Florida in the 2023 First Round (the first of the Panthers’ 11 series wins over three seasons). Marchand was stopped on a breakaway during the dying seconds in Game 5 of that series before Florida forged three straight wins to stun the Presidents’ Trophy recipients. Marchand and Bergeron then shared an emotional moment at TD Garden.
'NEW STANDARD’ OF HOCKEY IN SOUTH FLORIDA SYNCS WITH TKACHUK’S ARRIVAL
Less than three years after acquiring Matthew Tkachuk from the Flames in a blockbuster trade, the Panthers have yet to finish a season without a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He tallied the championship-clinching goal and leads the club with 323 total points since 2022-23, helping to forge League-leading totals for playoff wins (45), series victories (11) and Stanley Cups (2) over that span.
* Tkachuk became the second player over the past 33 years and sixth in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1968) to lead a repeat Stanley Cup champion in points during each playoff run (outright or tied). He joined Nikita Kucherov (2020 & 2021 TBL), Mario Lemieux (1991 & 1992 PIT), Wayne Gretzky (1984 & 1985 EDM; 1987 & 1988 EDM), Guy Lafleur (1976, 1977, 1978 & 1979 MTL) and Rick MacLeish (1974 & 1975 PHI).
BOBROVSKY CLAIMS EVERY WIN ACROSS FLORIDA’S REPEAT
Sergei Bobrovsky began the postseason with a 4-3 record through seven appearances (2.90 GAA, .876 SV%, 1 SO) but went 12-4 after that to backstop the Panthers to another Stanley Cup. He became the third goaltender in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1968) with each playoff win for a franchise that won two straight championships.
* Bobrovsky became the fifth goaltender in NHL history to earn each victory during a franchise’s first two or more Stanley Cup-winning seasons. He joined Martin Brodeur with the 1995, 2000 and 2003 Devils (48), Jonathan Quick with the 2012 and 2014 Kings (32), Patrick Roy with the 1996 and 2001 Avalanche (32) as well as Clint Benedict with the 1920, 1921 and 1923 Senators (14).
Verhaeghe victorious for third time since debuting during 2019-20 season
Carter Verhaeghe continued his clutch scoring by scoring three game-winning goals this postseason to capture the third Stanley Cup of his career following championships with the 2024 Panthers and 2020 Lightning. He joined a short list of players to debut over the past 40 years (since 1985) and win three Cups within their first six seasons.
Past 12 months bookended by Stanley Cup wins for Florida’s four Finns
Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola followed up their first-of-its-kind feat from last June with another Stanley Cup and became the second set of Finnish-born teammates in NHL history to repeat as champions, joining Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen with the 1987 and 1988 Oilers.
PANTHERS’ DEFENSE CORPS SCORED MORE THAN MOST STANLEY CUP-WINNING TEAMS OF YORE
Aaron Ekblad (4), Seth Jones (4), Niko Mikkola (3), Nate Schmidt (3), Dmitry Kulikov (2), Gustav Forsling (1) and soon-to-be Olympian Uvis Balinskis (1) combined for 18 goals, tied for the fifth most by defensemen on a Stanley Cup-winning team in NHL history behind the 2014 Kings (19), 1994 Rangers (19), 1985 Oilers (19), 1981 Islanders (19).
* Ekblad (No. 1 in 2014) became the ninth No. 1 pick to win multiple Stanley Cups with the franchise that chose him in the NHL Draft, while Jones won his first Cup and his family’s second championship from one of the major North American pro sports leagues.
* Schmidt set the tone for the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run by tallying three times through his first two playoff games with Florida, including two winning goals. He captured his first championship after playing for the Capitals and Golden Knights one and three seasons before they won Cups in 2018 and 2023, respectively.
* Forsling and countryman Jesper Boqvist became the League’s latest Swedish-born Stanley Cup winners. Each of the last 11 Cup-winning rosters have featured at least one Swedish-born player dating to 2015, extending the longest streak in NHL history (previous: 8 from 1980 to 1987).
* Balinskis became the third Stanley Cup winner of Latvian nationality in NHL history, following Teddy Blueger (2023 VGK) and Sandis Ozolinsh (1996 COL).
PANTHER TRACKS
More highlights as the Stanley Cup returns to South Florida for a second straight year:
* Evan Rodrigues found the score sheet in seven of 11 contests since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final en route to winning his second Stanley Cup since being signed by the Panthers on July 2, 2023. Rodrigues recorded 5-6—11 in 13 games across each of the past two Finals.
* Mackie Samoskevich is one of eight first-time Stanley Cup winners that currently meet the criteria to have his name engraved on the trophy. Samoskevich’s family could have more to celebrate this offseason if his twin sister, Madison, is selected in the 2025 PWHL Draft next week.
* Bill Zito won his second Stanley Cup since being named general manager of the Panthers less than five years ago and Paul Maurice got his second career championship after 2,090 games behind an NHL bench. Zito became the 10th general manager in NHL history to win multiple Cups within his first five seasons.
* Maurice, 58, became the second oldest head coach in NHL history to guide a franchise to consecutive Stanley Cups behind Scotty Bowman with the 1998 Red Wings (64 years, 271 days). Maurice was the League’s fourth bench boss with a Cup-clinching win at age 58 or older, following Bowman (2002 DET, 1998 DET, 1997 DET & 1992 PIT), Dick Irvin (1953 MTL) and Bruce Cassidy (2023 VGK).
* The Panthers’ new standard has also led to an 8.6% increase in youth player participation in the state of Florida from 2022-23 to 2023-24, per USA Hockey. That includes a 9.4% rise in female youth player participation over that span, with both figures representing the highest participation on record.
* The Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate, are currently competing against the Abbotsford Canucks in the 2025 Calder Cup Finals. The last season where an NHL team won the Stanley Cup and its farm team captured a Calder Cup was when the Devils and Albany River Rats combined for the feat in 1995.
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