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Wednesday, June 18, 2025

#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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#NHLPeachy @NHL NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Champions Edition – June 18, 2025


* A record-tying four-goal performance by Sam Reinhart and a clinching goal by Matthew Tkachuk helped the Panthers become the 10th franchise in NHL history to repeat as Stanley Cup champions – and first in 37 years to do so by clinching both on home ice.

* Reinhart delivered a once-in-a-century performance by matching the Stanley Cup Final record for goals in a game and becoming just the second player in League history to score four times in a Cup-clinching win. He also matched Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Jean Beliveau for the modern-era record for goals in one Final (7).

* Sam Bennett was selected as the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner after leading the League in goals (15) and establishing an NHL record for road goals in one playoff year (13).




REINHART HAS RECORD-TYING NIGHT AS PANTHERS CLINCH STANLEY CUP REPEAT

The 2025 Stanley Cup Final ended in much the same way that many of its games went: in record fashion. The Game 7 hero from last June made sure that one would not be needed again this year as Sam Reinhart delivered a once-in-a-century performance by scoring four goals to help clinch Florida’s Stanley Cup repeat.




* Reinhart (4-0—4) tied the Stanley Cup Final record for goals in a game and became the second player to score as many times in a Cup-clinching win – joining Babe Dye more than 100 years ago. Overall, Reinhart scored the fourth hat trick ever to clinch the Stanley Cup – and second in the past three years after Florida’s first of three straight trips to the Final ended with a Mark Stone hat trick to vanquish the Panthers' Cup hopes and make the Golden Knights the 2023 champions.

* Overall, Reinhart became the sixth player in NHL history score four goals in any Stanley Cup Final game, and first to do so since Maurice Richard with the Canadiens 68 years ago (Game 1 of 1957 SCF vs. BOS). Reinhart and Stone account for the only Stanley Cup Final hat tricks over the past 28 years.


* With his performance, Reinhart (7) overtook Brad Marchand (6) and Sam Bennett (5) for the series lead in goals – claiming a championship with both of them for the second time in five months after their win together with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February (with Reinhart set to represent his country again at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026). It marked the second time in NHL history that three teammates all scored five-plus goals in the same Final, following Alex Delvecchio (6), Gordie Howe (5) and Ted Lindsay (5) with the 1955 Red Wings.

* Reinhart matched the modern-era record (since 1944) for most goals in a single Stanley Cup Final, posting the highest total since Wayne Gretzky had seven for the Oilers 40 years ago. Reinhart, Gretzky, Mike Bossy (7 in 1982) and Jean Beliveau (7 in 1956) are the only players in the past 102 years to achieve that feat.


TKACHUK NETS CUP-CLINCHING GOAL ONE DAY AFTER OLYMPICS NOD

One day after being named to USA’s preliminary roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Matthew Tkachuk became the ninth American to score a Stanley Cup-clinching goal and first since Ross Colton with the 2021 Lightning – which also completed a repeat on home ice in Florida. Less than three years after the blockbuster trade that made him a Panther, Tkachuk has twice celebrated a Stanley Cup win with his entire family on the ice in South Florida.

* Tkachuk tied Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe for the team lead with 23 points during this Cup run, marking the third time in as many years with the club that Tkachuk has at least shared the Panthers lead in playoff points (also 24 in 2023 & 22 in 2024). He 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).



BENNETT NAMED PLAYOFF MVP AFTER SERIES OF RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCES

Sam Bennett (15-7—22 in 23 GP) established an NHL or franchise record in each of the first three games of the Final, part of a postseason in which he tallied a League-leading 15 goals and set an NHL record for road goals in one playoff year (13) – earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The #NHLStats Pack on Bennett includes a rundown of his record-setting performances, a snippet of “The Shift” from Game 3 against the Oilers, as well as details on him becoming the third player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy without a contract in place the next season.


BARKOV BECOMES FIRST EUROPEAN TO CAPTAIN MULTIPLE CUP WINNERS

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 – the first European in NHL history to wear the “C” for two Cup champions. The victory also came 16 days after he was announced as the repeat winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy (and first-time recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy) - delivered in a special surprise presentation from several girls and boys from Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

* 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. Lundell (0-1—1) and Luostarinen (0-1—1) both found the score sheet Tuesday and concluded the postseason with 14 combined points in series-clinching wins.



Marchand wins first Cup since vanquishing Vancouver, Luongo 14 years ago
Brad Marchand tallied six goals in the Stanley Cup Final and 10-10—20 overall in the postseason (23 GP) – the fourth-most playoff points by a Trade Deadline Day pickup – en route to claiming his second Cup and first since winning as a rookie with the 2011 Bruins (when he scored twice in Game 7, including once against Panthers’ executive Roberto Luongo – who banged the drum pre-game, just as he did ahead of their clincher last June).

* Marchand’s six goals against Edmonton exceeded his Final goal output from 2011 as he became the fifth player in NHL history to go at least 14 years between Stanley Cups. Click here for #NHLStats on Marchand, who was occasionally fueled by a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Treat from Dairy Queen and peppered with plastic rats following wins.


#NHLSTATS PACK DELIVERS MORE ON THE PANTHERS' REPEAT

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.


* The Panthers won the fifth-highest scoring Stanley Cup Final in League history (45 goals) with help from a cast that included 19 unique goal scorers, a record-tying six players with 20-plus points and 18 goals by defensemen – helping them lead for 255:49 during the series, the most time with an advantage ever in a Stanley Cup Final (besting the behind 1987 Oilers: 250:04 in 7 GP vs. PHI).



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#NHLPeachy @NHL #NHLStats Pack: Panthers forward Sam Bennett Selected as Conn Smythe Trophy Winner


Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett was selected as the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner after leading the League in goals (15) and establishing an NHL record for road goals in one playoff year (13) to help the Panthers become the 10th franchise in League history to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Awarded to “the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs,” Bennett was selected the winner in a vote by a panel of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Full list of Conn Smythe Trophy winners (first presented in 1965)

Bennett established an NHL or franchise record in each of the first three contests to open the Final. In Game 1, he scored his 12th goal of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to set a club record for most in one postseason. In Game 2, he scored his 12th road goal of 2025 to set an NHL record (besting Mark Scheifele: 11 in 2018) and also set a new Panthers benchmark for longest road goal streak in the playoffs (5 GP) – he then scored again on the road in Game 5 to build on those records and become the fifth player in NHL history with a road goal streak of six-plus games. In Game 3, Bennett dazzled the home crowd with a must-see sequence that began with two hits in the defensive zone and ended with a breakaway goal, setting a Panthers benchmark for longest goal streak in one playoff year (4 GP).

Bennett (5) ranked third in goals during the 2025 Final behind Sam Reinhart (7) and Brad Marchand (6) – the second time in NHL history that three teammates all scored five-plus goals in the same Final, following Alex Delvecchio (6), Gordie Howe (5) and Ted Lindsay (5) with the 1955 Red Wings. Bennett and Marchand also became the second set of teammates in League history to each score a goal in Games 1-3 of the Final, while Bennett matched the longest point streak from the start of a Final by any player over the past 35 years (5 GP).

Bennett tallied in each series-opener this year, one of only two players in NHL history to score a goal in Game 1 of four rounds in a single postseason, alongside Leon Draisaitl who also did so in 2025. Bennett (15) tied Alex Ovechkin (15 in 2018) and Sidney Crosby (15 in 2009) for the second most goals in one playoff year among active players, behind Zach Hyman (16 in 2024). Bennett became the second player in NHL history to score 15-plus goals in a postseason without any 30-goal regular-seasons on his resume to that point – and first in more than a century (Newsy Lalonde: 17 in 1919 w/ MTL).

Bennett’s performance came in the last season of a four-year contract with Florida, a campaign in which he established a career high with 51 points, scored the tying goal in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off en route to a title with Canada, and helped the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Bennett became the third player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy without a contract in place for the next season, following goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003) and forward Claude Lemieux (1995). Giguere re-signed with the Ducks during the ensuing offseason, while Lemieux landed with the Avalanche where he claimed a second straight Stanley Cup after winning with the Devils in 1995.


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