It’s another one for the books! The Florida Panthers are officially back in the Stanley Cup Final, securing their third straight Eastern Conference title tonight.
With a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center, the Cats are making history as the ninth franchise in NHL history to reach the final in three or more consecutive seasons. They also beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round and the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round.
Tonight’s game reached a tie in the third period before two big goals by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett (with just seconds left) to bring it home.
Who will the Florida Panthers play in the final?
Next up: the Florida team is set to face off against the winner of the Western Conference finals. In that series, the Edmonton Oilers currently lead against the Dallas Stars 3-1. If the Oilers advance, it’ll be a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final.
The Cats have historically made three Stanley Cup Final appearances since their inception in 1993. They won their first-ever championship in 2024, defeating the Oilers in seven games to win the trophy.
Stay tuned for the full finals schedule. Presale is set to begin on Friday, May 30th at 1 p.m.