Reinhart scores four goals to help Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions
ByJameson Olive
SUNRISE, Fla. – Once in a lifetime? Try twice in two years!
Keeping the Stanley Cup in South Florida, the powerhouse Panthers stuck to their signature brand of hockey to secure their second straight championship with a 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
“There was never a moment for us where we thought it was too much for us or we were in over our heads,” said forward Sam Bennett, who took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the postseason. “There’s just so much belief in that locker room, so much experience. Everyone truly believed we could win a Stanley Cup again from Day 1.”
Winning their first Cup last season by defeating the Oilers in Game 7, the Panthers are just the seventh franchise in NHL history to win each of their first two Cups on home ice.
After netting the game-winning goal in last year’s Cup-clinching win, Sam Reinhart provided the heroics once again, scoring four goals in an overall dominant effort.
Holding it down between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots.
“It’s something you never really think about,” said Reinhart, who tied the record for most goals scored in a single Cup Final game. “In a lot of instances, this one was even harder to overcome and be here at the end. We’re proud of this one.”
Bringing the home crowd into the action early, Reinhart opened the scoring when he picked Evan Bouchard’s pocket at the blue line, maneuvered around Mattias Ekholm and then fired a shot past Stuart Skinner while falling down to make it 1-0 at 4:36 of the first period.
Carrying a hot stick in the Cup Final, it was Reinhart’s fourth straight game with a goal.
The Panthers doubled their lead later when Anton Lundell forced a neutral-zone turnover and sent play the other way. Taking the puck from Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen then waited patiently before teeing up Matthew Tkachuk for a goal from the slot to make it 2-0 at 19:13.
Making hot starts their trademark, the Panthers led 13-4 in the first period in the series.
After turning aside 10 shots in the first period, Bobrovsky stayed sharp in the second with another 10 saves, including shutting down Jeff Skinner on a quality look just before the 10-minute mark.
One of Edmonton’s best chances in the period also never got to the net as Tkachuk laid out and put his body on the line to block a heavy shot from Jake Walman from the left circle.
Cashing in on a brilliant shift from the top line that featured more cycling than the Tour de France, the Panthers extended their lead to 3-0 when Aleksander Barkov, who looked like a man among boys, sent a puck off Reinhart’s skate and past Skinner at 17:31 of the second.
Suffocating the Oilers from start to finish, the Panthers allowed just six scoring chances through 40 minutes.
In the third period, that didn’t change.
Despite the Oilers desperately trying to get back into the game and keep their Cup hopes alive, the Panthers never let up while allowing just five scoring chances during the period.
“Depth,” Tkachuk said when asked about the team’s ability to control the game. “That’s number one. Our depth is everything. It’s our depth and just the buy-in from everybody.”
Taking advantage of the empty net after the Oilers pulled Skinner for a 6-on-5 advantage, Reinhart completed his hat trick and increased the lead to 4-0 at 13:26. With the net empty again soon after, Reinhart tacked on his fourth goal to increase the lead to 5-0 at 14:55.
Making some history, Reinhart’s four goals are the most in a Cup Final game since Hall of Famer Maurice “Rocket” Richard netted four of his own with the Montreal Canadiens all the way back in 1957.
Spreading out the offense, Florida had 13 players rack up at least five points in the Cup Final.
“We have superstars on this team, but superstars that are willing to do what it takes to win,” said Bennett, who scored a team-high and NHL-leading 15 goals this postseason. “There’s a big difference from doing what it takes to win and just playing hockey. There’s a lot of dawgs in here.”
At 15:18, Vasily Podkolzin spoiled Bobrovsky’s shutout and cut Edmonton’s deficit to 5-1.
By then, it was too little, too late.
The Cup is staying in the Sunshine State.
If the Panthers have it their way, that won’t change any time soon.
“This team is something special,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “Hopefully we can do it again next year. … It almost feels normal, which is insane. Just trying to soak in all the emotions and the excitement.”
Stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com for details about the parade!
