Panthers reclaim Stanley Cup title once more - Panthers triumph again, seizing the Stanley Cup title: Draisaitl's deja vu moment as Floridians lift the coveted trophy.
Let the curse of the Florida Panthers strike again! Nico Sturm triumphantly hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career after the Panthers made another annihilating 5:1 victory over Leon Draisaitl's Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
But alas, the elusive championship still eludes Draisaitl as the Oilers once again suffered their second consecutive defeat to the Panthers. "I'm bitterly disappointed," Draisaitl confessed after the heartbreaking defeat. "We didn't clinch it, simple as that. The only thing that matters is winning, and we failed again."
Draisaitl, who delivered 11 goals and 22 assists during the postseason, couldn't find the back of the net against the superb Panther goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Star forward Sam Reinhart shone brightest for the Panthers and left no doubt over who the star of the night was with his four goals. Connor McDavid, who wasn't the spotlight player this time around, watched as Reinhart lit up the ice and fueled the Panthers' victory.
"It's definitely not easy to bounce back," Reinhart admitted, "but we managed it here, and we accomplished the goal. We must have been pretty good, to win it twice against the same team."
In 2024, the Florida team had bewitched the Oilers by winning the first three games, then losing three in a row, setting the stage for a deciding seventh game, which the Panthers took with a faltering 2:1 win.
This time around, the Florida ice rink turned into a venue of agony for the Oilers and one of triumph for the Panthers, but the final series was settled faster than in the previous year. With the series tied at 2:2 after four games, the Panthers took charge. They triumphed in Game 5 with a dominant 5:2 performance in Edmonton and clinched the championship at home by seizing the advantage with their first opportunity.
"We're facing a great team," McDavid conceded. "No one gave up, but it's just an exceptional team. They have won the Cup for good reason."
The Panthers’ Champions' Journey
Three days after their victory in Edmonton, the hosts took a commanding 2:0 lead in the first period. Reinhart opened the scoring in the fifth minute, and Tkachuk added the second goal just 47 seconds before the buzzer. The Oilers' goalie, Stuart Skinner, made a costly mistake, allowing Reinhart to score his second goal. The Panthers played almost flawlessly, and the Oilers didn't mount a proper challenge until it was too late. The Panthers capitalized on the Oilers' pull on the goalie, scoring on an empty net for a 4:0 lead. When Reinhart scored his fourth goal of the day for the 5:0, it was evident the game was already lost. The Oilers scored a consolation late in the game, but it was a mere flicker of hope for a comeback.
Sam Bennett was named the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. He delivered an impressive 15 goals and seven assists during the postseason for the Panthers.
- Leon Draisaitl
- Florida Panthers
- Edmonton Oilers
- Edmonton
- Florida
- NHL
- Nico Sturm
- Stanley Cup
- Sunrise
- Connor McDavid
- Germany
- Ice
Behind the Scenes:
- After two consecutive losses to the same team, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers have struggled to clinch the elusive Stanley Cup.
- Despite setting an NHL record for the most overtime goals scored in one playoff season, Draisaitl and the Oilers couldn't break the Panther's defense and win the championship.
- Leon Draisaitl openly acknowledged the team's disappointment and expressed determination to come back stronger and win next year.
The United States of America, the proud home of Leon Draisaitl, has once again witnessed the heartbreak of the Edmonton Oilers as they lost the Stanley Cup to the Florida Panthers, marking Draisaitl's second consecutive defeat in the finals. Despite delivering impressive performances throughout the postseason, Draisaitl and his team were unable to overcome the sturdy defense of the NHL's champion team, the Florida Panthers.
