Panthers rout Oilers in Game 6 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Déjà vu.

The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 on Tuesday to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. Sam Bennett collected the Conn Smythe trophy with 15 goals across Florida’s run.

It’s the same exact outcome as last season, when the Panthers avoided losing a series 3-0 by winning Game 7 versus the Oilers with Sam Reinhart scoring clutch goals. But this time, he scored lots of them.

Reinhart started the scoring within the first five minutes of the opening period, stealing the puck away, splitting two defenders then rounding it home.

Matthew Tkachuk then added the second for Florida with 46 seconds remaining in the period. With Eetu Luostarinen doubled on the right wing, he laid it off for Tkachuk, who faced no defensive reinforcement and drilled it home.

Reinhart then added a second late in the second period, but it came in unusual fashion. Carter Verhaeghe flipped an unexpected shot toward the net before falling to Aleksander Barkov, who shot and saw it deflect off Reinhart and in.

Reinhart’s hat-trick came with 6:34 on the clock in the third period, as Barkov logged another assist thanks to an empty net.

It became the first playoff hat-trick by a Panthers player in franchise history. But he wasn’t done there.

Just moments later on another empty net, Reinhart got a wrist shot off while falling. Of course, no Panthers player has scored four goals in a playoff game.

Reinhart’s fourth tied the Stanley Cup record for most in a final, last done so by Montreal’s Maurice Richard in 1957.

Edmonton didn’t come away empty-handed, however. It responded shortly after through Vasily Podkolzin, who rounded the keeper off a Jake Walman assist, silencing the crowd for a brief moment.

The Panthers became the 11th franchise to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the expansion era in 1967-68. The last team to do so was the Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat the Dallas Stars in the 2020 final before repeating the following year over the Montreal Canadiens.

This occasion is a bit different, though. While Tampa Bay beat two separate opponents, Florida handed Edmonton consecutive heartbreaks. The last team to suffer such a fate was over 50 years ago, when the Canadiens took down the Boston Bruins twice in 1977 and 1978.

Edmonton still has five Stanley Cups in its trophy cabinet, but it’s been multiple decades since a new addition. The Oilers have won it all in 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1989–90.

The Oilers are also one of the last Canadian teams to lift the Cup, as Canada’s drought is equally as parched. Montreal is the last Canadian franchise to hoist the silverware, having done so over the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

Florida is among the franchises capitalizing on the U.S. momentum. This win marks the team’s second ever Stanley Cup, so it’s a team relatively new to the major title scene.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice also became the first coach in NHL/NFL/NBA/MLB history to win multiple championships after winning none over his first 25 seasons, via Opta Stats. Maurice previously coached the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets before joining Florida in 2022.

The Panthers then reached the final in 2023, but lost to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Safe to say that experience shaped Florida’s future for the better. If they can retain unrestricted free agents Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Bennett, among others, the Panthers may very well be on the hunt for a rare three-peat.