It took six games for the Florida Panthers to devour the New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup playoff dreams in Game 6 on Saturday night. Florida skated on the smiling end of the traditional postseason handshake line as they booked a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals with the 2-1 win inside a sold-out Amerant Bank Arena.
Florida has accomplished a feat far more rare in the NHL than seen in other American sports by returning to the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back years. NHL teams don’t survive two postseason runs in a row. Yet here we are with the Florida Panthers celebrating the Eastern Conference championship in 2024.
Will this be the year when the Florida Panthers finally get the job done?
Florida Panthers Return To Finals For Third Time In History
The Florida Panthers enter the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals looking to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time in franchise history. The first trip in 1996 was a tough sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs overwhelmed Florida at home in the first two games as they outscored the Panthers 11-2. Back on the East Coast, the games were much tighter as the Cats lost a pair of one-goal games ending the series in four games.
Last season, a banged-up Florida Panthers club ran into the buzzsaw known as the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights. While simply a footnote in Panthers history in the sourness of not claiming the Stanley Cup, Florida did win their first Stanley Cup Finals game last season in Game 3 at home by a 3-2 score. Otherwise, the Golden Knights feasted offensively in Las Vegas by tripling the scoring output of the Panthers, 21-7, on the way to a five-game series win.
Paws Off The Prince Of Wales Trophy In 2024
Last season, the Florida Panthers celebrated their first Price of Wales trophy since 1996 and skated laps with the reward for the Eastern Conference champions (picture above). Some hockey players are superstitious, while others are far more carefree. Hockey legends like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin who lifted the Prince’s trophy before Lord Stanley’s prize fall into the non-superstitious camp.
Florida Panthers captain, Aleksander Barkov, initiated the fingerprints on the trophy last year just like Brian Skrudland did for the Cats in 1996. This season, Barkov was on the same page with Head Coach Paul Maurice and did not lay a finger on the Eastern Conference championship trophy.
“He also told me last year (not to touch it),” Barkov said afterward. “Last year we had a different situation, but we’re not going to talk about last year. This year, I think we all agreed we were not going to touch it.”
Panthers Better Equipped To “Finish The Story”
Aleksander Barkov makes a very savvy point in leaving the 2023 Florida Panthers team in the past. Of course, there will be always comparisons to a roster that still features its top scorers. Florida bulked up their defensive core following last season’s disappointment, while also adding Vladimir Tarasenko at the trade deadline. The move has already provided dividends for Florida as the incoming forward scored the series-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Rangers.
The Panthers will be the fourth team in the last 50 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals after failing short the prior postseason. The Cats will look to avoid joining Boston, Edmonton, and Pittsburgh on that very unfortunate back-to-back Stanley Cup losses list next week.
If it is even possible, the expectations are even higher for the Panthers this season to imitate Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL by winning the big fight. The Cats have to overcome the adversity to return to the championship fight. Now they have to “finish the story” and lift that heavy title high for everyone to see as World Champions for the very first time.
About The Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites). With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers. Additional insightful sports articles are located here.
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