The defending Stanley Cup Champions are back at the dance.
The Florida Panthers took down the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/playoff-preview-only-the-hurricanes-stand-in-the-way-of-the-panthers-and-a-third-consecutive-stanley-cup-final">Eastern Conference Final</a>, capping off the series with a 5-3 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Sebastian Aho scored twice in the first period to give the Canes a 2-0 lead, and the Panthers battled back with three goals in the second frame to grab the lead. Seth Jarvis tied the score at 3-3 in the middle of the third frame, but Carter Verhaeghe restored Florida&#8217;s lead minutes later. Sam Bennett scored an empty net insurance goal in the final minute of play to seal the win for the Panthers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ours for the third straight year 😼 <a href="https://t.co/nkq4tqp0qp">pic.twitter.com/nkq4tqp0qp</a>
&mdash; x &#8211; Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlaPanthers/status/1927927119675367920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
After finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 47-31-4 record during the regular season, the Panthers plowed through the first three rounds of the playoffs with only five losses.
The Atlantic Division-winning Toronto Maple Leafs have been the only team to give Florida a serious run. The second-round series between the two teams went seven games, with the Panthers earning a commanding 6-1 victory on the road in the decisive match.
Impending unrestricted free agent Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with 10 goals through 17 playoff games, and he&#8217;s tied for second on the team with 16 points. Captain Aleksander Barkov leads the way with 17 points in 17 playoff games. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been excellent for Florida in the playoffs, posting a .912 save percentage over the first three rounds.
The Panthers took down the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-stars-game-4-tactical-review">Edmonton Oilers</a> in seven games last spring to capture their first Stanley Cup in team history. The Oilers are leading the Dallas Stars 3-1 in the Western Conference Final, and Edmonton is just one win away from setting up a rematch in the Cup Final.

The defending Stanley Cup Champions are back at the dance.

The Florida Panthers took down the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/playoff-preview-only-the-hurricanes-stand-in-the-way-of-the-panthers-and-a-third-consecutive-stanley-cup-final">Eastern Conference Final</a>, capping off the series with a 5-3 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Sebastian Aho scored twice in the first period to give the Canes a 2-0 lead, and the Panthers battled back with three goals in the second frame to grab the lead. Seth Jarvis tied the score at 3-3 in the middle of the third frame, but Carter Verhaeghe restored Florida's lead minutes later. Sam Bennett scored an empty net insurance goal in the final minute of play to seal the win for the Panthers.



https://twitter.com/FlaPanthers/status/1927927119675367920

&nbsp;

After finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 47-31-4 record during the regular season, the Panthers plowed through the first three rounds of the playoffs with only five losses.

The Atlantic Division-winning Toronto Maple Leafs have been the only team to give Florida a serious run. The second-round series between the two teams went seven games, with the Panthers earning a commanding 6-1 victory on the road in the decisive match.

Impending unrestricted free agent Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with 10 goals through 17 playoff games, and he's tied for second on the team with 16 points. Captain Aleksander Barkov leads the way with 17 points in 17 playoff games. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been excellent for Florida in the playoffs, posting a .912 save percentage over the first three rounds.

The Panthers took down the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-stars-game-4-tactical-review">Edmonton Oilers</a> in seven games last spring to capture their first Stanley Cup in team history. The Oilers are leading the Dallas Stars 3-1 in the Western Conference Final, and Edmonton is just one win away from setting up a rematch in the Cup Final.

Panthers advance to Stanley Cup Final for third consecutive year

NHL Betting Preview (June 12): Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4 Predictions

New York Rangers Anaheim Ducks Chris Kreider

NHL Notebook: All signs point to Rangers exodus to California continuing with Chris Kreider trade looming

Edmonton Oilers Stan Bowman Kris Knoblauch

Recent articles from Cam Lewis

Breaking News