The Florida Panthers contained a relentless attack from the Edmonton Oilers in the third period to win Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals 2-1 on Monday.
Both teams split goals at the end of the first period. Carter Verhaeghe gave Florida the 1-0 lead with a tip-in nearly five minutes into the opening stanza.
Minutes later, Edmonton’s Mattias Janmark hit a wrist shot to tie the game one-all heading into the second.
Sam Reinhart would be the lone scorer in the middle period, giving the Panthers the 2-1 lead they would hold to secure their first Stanley Cup title as a franchise.
The Oilers desperately tried to scrape a goal in the final period, outshooting the Panthers in the third with nine shots on goal to Florida’s four.
Edmonton would also have more shots on goal for the game’s entirety – 24 to Florida’s 21. The winners, however, had 31 hits to Edmonton’s 20 and 17 blocks to the Oilers’ 14.
After being forced on their heels in the final period, the now-champions had 13 giveaways and 12 takeaways. Meanwhile, the Oilers had nine and seven, respectively.
Edmonton routed the LA Kings in five games, Vancouver Canucks in seven, and the Dallas Stars in six games to secure their spot in the Finals.
On the other hand, the Panthers’ championship run began with a gentlemen’s sweep over the Tampa Bay Lightning, a six-game series over the Boston Bruins, followed by another against the New York Rangers.
Florida gained a convincing 3-0 lead but left fans on the edge of their seat as Edmonton climbed back to force a clincher. In search of their sixth franchise Stanley Cup title and first since 1990, the Oilers were denied the chance to make history by overcoming the 0-3 deficit.
The only other team to complete the feat was the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 against the Detroit Red Wings.
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