At one time, people used to believe that hockey didn’t belong in Florida. The Florida Panthers have certainly helped to dispel that notion.
Since entering the NHL in 1993, the Panthers have never won the Stanley Cup. Compared to their opponents in the Finals, the Edmonton Oilers, Florida doesn’t seem to have as deep of a history. But they do have three Conference Championships, four division titles, and one Presidents’ Trophy.
In addition, the Panthers this season have gone through an insane gauntlet of opposition talent just to get here. They say to be the best, you have to beat the best and nobody can accuse the Florida Panthers of having a cakewalk to the Finals. Florida is looking to bounce back after losing last year in the Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Florida Panthers Are Out For Redemption
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Last season, the Panthers limped into the Finals wounded and exhausted. It’s a big reason why they fell to Vegas. This season is completely different. Despite facing three top goaltenders in the league in each round of the playoffs, the Florida Panthers have returned to the Finals.
The Panthers finally eliminated their rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning after two previous unsuccessful attempts. They went on to eliminate the Boston Bruins and the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the New York Rangers.
Florida Panthers Are Loaded At Every Level
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While the Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the league, the Florida Panthers are a better overall team. On the ice, they’re led by Sam Reinhart who had 94 points this season. Matthew Tkachuk had 88 points in the regular season and 19 points this postseason. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe also turned in 70+ point seasons and 17 points each in the postseason.
Florida’s breakout star was Gustav Forsling who had a +56 on the season on defense to help out star Aaron Ekblad. Their starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is in the conversation for the best goaltender in all of hockey.
Almost Every Player is on Prime
One thing that helps the Panthers is the fact their players for the most part have playoff experience. Most of the team was there last season and contributed to their previous run. However, their biggest advantage has to be that almost every player is in their prime years.
The oldest skaters on the ice are Vladimir Tarasenko and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and they are only 32 years old each. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing the best out of any goalie right now and he’s 35. But every skater is between 22-32 years old.
The Biggest Difference is In Coaching
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two teams is in coaching. Paul Maurice has been a coach in the NHL for a long time, having been the Head Coach of the Hartford Whalers in the mid-90s. He’s coached 1,848 games in his career. He’s been the head coach for the Florida Panthers since last season.
By comparison, Kris Knoblauch has only been a Head Coach for 69 games, having taken over the Oilers at midseason for his first job. Knoblauch helped the Oilers rise from the depths this season but also gave the Panthers some wonderful bulletin board material.
Is The Third Time’s The Charm?
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This will be the third time in the history of the Florida Panthers that they’ve reached the Finals. They lost in 1996 to the Colorado Avalanche in a sweep. They lost in 2023 to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. They are 1-8 in the Finals.
However, this time can be different since this is arguably the deepest team in team history. This run feels like a combination of destiny on top of talent.
Also Read: Can Boston Bruins Retain Superb Goalie Duo for $10+ Million?
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About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports. His interests include gaming, watching movies, and spending time with his girlfriend. He’s a loyal fan of the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bulls, San Francisco Giants, and the Chicago Blackhawks. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti.
