The Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup with a signature performance, eliminating the Oilers in six games with 5-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
There were many story lines in the game — Sam Reinhart's four goals, Sergei Bobrovsky's brilliance — but the first two goals of the game showed how this game and the majority of this series went:
Relentless. What you can't see from that beautiful play for the second goal was the fourth-line shift preceding it that held possession in the offensive zone for about 40 seconds and allowed for an offensive line change that got Matthew Tkachuk on the ice in the trail position. Defensively, it was a clinic, stifling the explosive Oilers offense for the second game in a row — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl were given zero room — and Bob was there to clean up any mistakes.
Once the Panthers lost Game 4 in overtime, it was over. That team decided to put its foot on the gas every sixty minutes the rest of the way, and it wasn't even close. Playing their game, their way, they couldn't be beat. Insane skill, depth, grit and experience.
Gratitude to these two teams for an exceptional final, and to the Panthers specifically for this glorious exhibition of hockey.
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THE ASYLUM
The Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup with a signature performance, eliminating the Oilers in six games with 5-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
There were many story lines in the game — Sam Reinhart's four goals, Sergei Bobrovsky's brilliance — but the first two goals of the game showed how this game and the majority of this series went:
Relentless. What you can't see from that beautiful play for the second goal was the fourth-line shift preceding it that held possession in the offensive zone for about 40 seconds and allowed for an offensive line change that got Matthew Tkachuk on the ice in the trail position. Defensively, it was a clinic, stifling the explosive Oilers offense for the second game in a row — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl were given zero room — and Bob was there to clean up any mistakes.
Once the Panthers lost Game 4 in overtime, it was over. That team decided to put its foot on the gas every sixty minutes the rest of the way, and it wasn't even close. Playing their game, their way, they couldn't be beat. Insane skill, depth, grit and experience.
Gratitude to these two teams for an exceptional final, and to the Panthers specifically for this glorious exhibition of hockey.
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