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The Florida Panthers are the top cats in the NHL again. Sam Reinhart scored four goals, Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves, and the Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday. “It’s amazing,” Bobrovsky said. “Obviously, it’s not easy to do and not many people can do that, but this group of guys is unbelievable. It’s a privilege to be their goalie.” Reinhart’s four goals tied the record for most in a Stanley Cup Final game, and he became the second player in NHL history with four goals in a Stanley Cup-clinching win. He also had the first four-goal game and hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Panthers history. Reinhart scored the winning goal when Florida defeated Edmonton 2-1 in Game 7 of the Cup Final last season to capture its first championship. “He scored a game-winner in Game 7 last year and he banged in four,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Nobody’s going to say whether t...

Brad Marchand stayed red-hot and pushed the Florida Panthers to within one win of a second straight Stanley Cup championship. Marchand scored two goals, giving him a series-leading six and the most by any player in a Stanley Cup Final since 1988, helping the Panthers to a 5-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 at Rogers Place on Saturday. "I've said it a ton of times, we're just enjoying the moment," Marchand said. "It's a special time, special memories that we're going to have forever. I'm not really nervous, just excited." Sam Bennett scored his League-leading 15th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and an assist, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves for the Panthers, who lead the best-of-7 series 3-2. They can win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). In Cup Final history, teams that win Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series have gone on to win ...

 Leon Draisaitl came up large in overtime again, and the Edmonton Oilers regained energy and life in the Stanley Cup Final not long after it was looking bleak for them. Draisaitl scored at 11:18 to lift the Oilers to a 5-4 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday. The Oilers rallied from down 3-0 in the first period to lead 4-3 late in the third period. Then they overcame a late tying goal from the Panthers before Draisaitl made NHL history by becoming the first player to score four overtime goals in a single postseason. It was his second in this series; he also scored the OT winner in Game 1, a 4-3 victory. The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2. Game 5 is at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX). "It once again shows you or tells you that our group never quits," Draisaitl said. "I think we believe that no matter how bad it is if we get over that hump of adversity we're going to keep pushing, w...

The Florida Panthers played Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on their terms from start to finish. They won going away. If it happens twice more in this series, they'll be Stanley Cup champions, again. Brad Marchand scored for the third straight game, setting two Cup Final records in doing so, Sam Bennett scored his NHL-leading 14th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday. "We played super well and super disciplined, just like a veteran, older team who's been here," Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "This is our third time at it. We know it's a series, and we've got to stick up for each other, but got to be smart too. I thought it was great that guys were sticking up for each other, and at the end of the day, it's just a big win and just one game." Sam Reinhart scored for the first time in more than three weeks and had an assist, and Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues ea...

Soon after pedaling on the exercise bike to keep loose between overtimes, Brad Marchand found himself wrapped in the middle of a giant celebratory group hug on the ice, the hero of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final being mobbed by his teammates. The forward scored 8:05 into the second overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 5-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Friday, evening the best-of-7 series. The Oilers won Game 1 in overtime 4-3. "They're very intense games," Marchand said. "The energy in this building is pretty incredible. You can see the way they feed off of it. Just the intensity of the games, it's exciting to be a part of. It's a good one to win. I liked the way we played tonight." Corey Perry scored the latest game-tying goal in Cup Final history at 19:42 of the third period to force overtime for the Oilers, but after an up-and-down first extra 20-minute session, Marchand delivered in the second overtime with his second goal...

Leon Draisaitl didn't score in the Stanley Cup Final last year. He already has two goals in the series this year, including maybe the biggest of his career to date. Draisaitl scored a power-play goal with 31 seconds left in overtime, and the Edmonton Oilers came back from two goals down to defeat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 1 at Rogers Place on Wednesday. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series, a rematch of Florida’s seven-game victory last season, will be here on Friday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX). "Especially on the power play you're looking to finish it," Draisaitl said. "Some incredible plays that made it pretty easy for me to put that home. It's a special feeling. It's great for right now, but we've got to look ahead and get ready for Game 2." Draisaitl scored his second of the game on Edmonton's 46th shot on goal. The puck went down the left side from Evan Bouchard to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to Corey Perry to Connor McDavid and...

The Edmonton Oilers scored three goals in the first 8:07 and went on to eliminate the Dallas Stars with a 6-3 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Thursday. “We knew we were going to need everybody,” Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said. “Both goalies have given us a chance every night and our depth has been incredible. We’ve been playing good hockey, good solid hockey, throughout the lineup and you need that this time of year.” The Oilers will face the Florida Panthers in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final in a rematch from last season, when Florida won 2-1 in Game 7. Game 1 will be at Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX). “We should definitely be proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We should feel happy about what has gone on. Our [mindset] hasn’t been just be the best team out of the West. All summer, we weren’t thinking about that. We were thinking about the ultimate prize. This is ...

The Florida Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season with a 5-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center on Wednesday. The defending Stanley Cup champions, who defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games last season, will play either the Oilers or the Dallas Stars. Edmonton leads that best-of-7 series 3-1 with Game 5 in Dallas on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC). “We didn’t come here to win the Eastern Conference,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “I’m not saying anything bad about it, but we got where we wanted; we’re in the Final once again, and we want to win the Stanley Cup just like any other team. “We’re happy with what we achieved, and the way we achieved it was tough. Carolina played so well. The way we managed to win this game is for sure one that you’ll remember.” Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead at 12:21 of the third period. Barkov made a backhand pass a...

Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry each had a goal and an assist for the Edmonton Oilers, who pushed the Dallas Stars to the brink with a 4-1 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place on Tuesday. The Oilers lead the best-of-7 series 3-1. They will have a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season in Game 5 in Dallas on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC). “You know that they’re going to be pushing. They’ve got a fantastic team, they’ve got guys who can really skate, they’re dangerous off the rush,” Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “You can keep talking about how amazing their team is. Even though it is 3-1, we have a lot more work to do. “You know for a fact that when they are at home they’re going to be giving a really big push. We’re going to be ready.” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid each had two assists, and Skinner made 28 saves for the Oilers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Pacific Division. Zach Hyman left...

 Frederik Andersen made 20 saves, and the Carolina Hurricanes avoided elimination by defeating the Florida Panthers 3-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday. It was the second shutout this postseason for Andersen, who allowed nine goals on 36 shots in Games 1 and 2 before backing up Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 3. Game 5 of the best-of-7 series will be at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). “We wanted to leave it all out there and play our best game,” Andersen said. “We were rewarded for it. I love playing with this team, so, happy to be getting another shot [Wednesday]. We were closer to our game, and we’re a pretty good team when we play our game. We need more of that.” Logan Stankoven scored for the Hurricanes, who are the No. 2 seed from the Metropolitan Division. It was Carolina's first win in the Eastern Conference Final since June 1, 2006. It was swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins i...

Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman each scored twice for the Edmonton Oilers, who cruised to a 6-1 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place on Sunday. Edmonton leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 will be here on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN, ESPN+). “You have to win games different ways. You have to have dominant nights, you have to have nights where maybe your goalie is better than theirs,” McDavid said. “You have to have nights where your special teams gets it done. That wasn’t tonight, although I thought the kill was good. “Five-on-five has been really good. It’s been our strength all playoffs long, which is maybe new for this group. We’ve relied on the power play for a long time, and for whatever reason it hasn’t been clicking. You have to find ways to win different games different ways, and we did again tonight.” Hyman also had an assist, Evan Bouchard had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane each had...

The Florida Panthers scored five goals in the first 10:37 of the third period, pulling away to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. The defending Stanley Cup champions lead the best-of-7 series 3-0. They can sweep the series and earn a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a win in Game 4 here on Monday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). “You don’t think about that,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “We are prepared to go seven here. The biggest thing with this group is that we’re really good at focusing on what we need to do, stay in the moment, and not look ahead. You can’t start looking ahead. That’s a very dangerous game to play.” Aleksander Barkov had two goals and an assist, Jesper Boqvist had a goal and two assists, and Niko Mikkola scored twice for the Panthers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Evan Rodrigues and Matthew Tkachuk each had two assists, and Sergei...

Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for his third shutout of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers tied the Western Conference Final series with a 3-0 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 2 at American Airlines Center on Friday. “It's like I said at the beginning of playoffs, it's a roller coaster. There's a lot of highs, lots of lows. Sometimes the score doesn't always tell everybody exactly how the game unfolded,” Skinner said. “I think a few minutes where we didn't play our best, and it looks a lot worse than what it was. So, for us just going back to tonight is really just playing the same game, doing the same thing, and just putting on our work boots and getting to work.” Game 3 of the best-of-7 series is in Edmonton on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC). “As players you don’t have enough appreciation for how a goalie battles. You trust he’s going to do his job back there and battle and try to see the puck and make every save he can and he did t...

Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each had three points, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves for the Florida Panthers in a 5-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center on Thursday. The shutout was Bobrovsky's third of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Panthers, who lead the best-of-7 series 2-0. Game 3 will be in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). Bennett had two goals and an assist, and Verhaeghe had three assists for the Panthers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, and Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues each had two assists. “It might have been natural to take a little bit to get going tonight, and it was the exact opposite,” Tkachuk said. “It was an unreal start for us. That’s just a [heck] of a road trip.” Florida forward Sam Reinhart left the game after the first period with a lower-body injury. "We'll get him looked at tomo...

The Dallas Stars rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 with five goals -- three straight on the power play -- scored in the third period of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. “I didn’t feel we had played our best yet and it’s really tough to get to this point and if you are going to lose a game at this point in the year, you want to make sure the other team has to earn it,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I didn’t feel through 40 minutes that we had made them earn the position they were in. So, guys responded. We got fortunate. We got some power-play goals. Happy for our power play. It took a lot of heat last year at this point of the year. It was the difference tonight for us, so it’s great.” In last year’s Western Conference Final matchup between Dallas and Edmonton, Dallas went 0-for-14 on the power play. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is here on Friday (8:00 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS). Tyler Seguin ...

Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center on Tuesday. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will be here on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). “I thought our guys did a great job with the skating, with the whole game,” Bobrovsky said. “It was a complete game. We’re happy with the win. It’s important to get the first one. They have a good team. They’re going to compete, they’re going to fight. We’re getting ready for the next game.” Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Evan Rodrigues and Tomas Nosek each had two assists. “I didn’t love our game tonight, but I understood it. Significant style change,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “Game 1 is that first look at what your game looks like against a completely different opponent. We will have to continue to build that game and get better.” Sebas...

Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen each had a goal and two assists for the Florida Panthers in a 6-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. “We have a ton of belief in the system that we play and the depth of our group and our experience in these moments,” Marchand said. “Going through it before, it’s invaluable experience when you go through moments like this and you’ve been through them before. And a lot of guys have won Cups. When you win a Cup and you play in some of the games this team played in last year, these are not high-pressure games.” Seth Jones had a goal and an assist, Aleksander Barkov had two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves for the Panthers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Florida will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, with Game 1 of that best-of-7 series set to be held at Lenovo Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, ...