The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 to win Game 7 and the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history.
Carter Verhaeghe tied a franchise record with his 11th goal of the postseason to open the scoring in Game 7. Teams that score first in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final own an all-time record of 12-5, including eight straight wins dating back to the 1994 Final.
Mattias Janmark evened the game just a few minutes later, scoring his fourth career goal in a Game 7, which is tied for the most among active players (Corey Perry). Only 13 players in league history have more. Dating to 2021, when Janmark scored his Game 7 hat trick for Vegas, no player has more Game 7 goals than his four. Sam Reinhart scored with just over five minutes left in the second period to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.
Reinhart had a team-leading 57 goals in 2023-24 and scored the goal that gave Florida a 2-1 lead. The only players in the past 40 years to lead their team in goals during the regular season and then score a Stanley Cup-clinching goal are Patrick Kane (2010), Henrik Zetterberg (2008), and Brendan Shanahan (2002).
News and Notes
Florida played in its ninth potential series-clinching game of the postseason, which matches the 2011 Vancouver Canucks for the most in a playoff year.
Paul Maurice (4-0) had never lost a Game 7 in his NHL head coaching career and became the second coach in league history to earn wins in each of his first five, joining former OHL teammate and colleague Peter DeBoer (8-0).
The only other Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final in which both teams scored in the first period was in 1987 between the Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. When a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is tied after the first period, the team that scores the next goal owns a record of 4-1.