Florida Panthers Capture Back-to-Back Stanley Cups, Reinhart Scores 4

The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. Beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the 2025 Cup Final in a dominant win, the Panthers proved they are the elite in the NHL, shutting down the league’s two top stars and proving they have one of their own.

THE FLORIDA PANTHERS ARE YOUR 2025 #STANLEYCUP CHAMPIONS‼️ pic.twitter.com/GU5wNe4pKL

— NHL (@NHL) June 18, 2025

The Panthers delivered a commanding 5-1 win, securing their second straight title and cementing their place among the NHL’s modern dynasties. They join the 2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins and 2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning as the only teams in the last decade to win back-to-back championships.

Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading all goal scorers with 15 goals. 13 of them were scored on the road. The individual accolade will come in handy as he negotiates his next contract as a UFA on July 1.

Sam Reinhart Scores Four in the Win

While the playoff award goes to Bennett and the Panthers celebrate as a team, the night belonged to Sam Reinhart, whose four-goal explosion not only led the Panthers to victory but also etched his name into NHL history. He became just the 12th player to score four goals in a single Stanley Cup Final game and the first since Brett Hull in 1999. Reinhart’s performance ties the record set by Maurice “Rocket” Richard in 1957.

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The Oilers won two of the six games, — including a miraculous three-goal comeback in Game 4 — but the Panthers dominated the series from start to finish. Their relentless forecheck and suffocating defense overcame the Oilers’ elite skill and transitional game. Game 6 was more of the same as Florida jumped out to an early lead after the Oilers got off to a strong start. Not too long later, they were up 3-0 and never looked back. They added two empty-net goals, while Vasily Podkolzin spoiled the shutout for Sergei Bobrovsky.

For Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it was another heartbreaking ending. Questions now will be where the organization goes from here. Questions will probably start with the goaltending, and the likely answer might be to make a change. Stuart Skinner wasn’t good enough, and the third goal against might have been the nail in his coffin. Time will tell, but that answer should come this offseason.

The Oilers played exceptionally well to reach the Final. Still, they ran into a wall in the Panthers, who received tremendous performances from Bennett, Reinhart, and trade deadline additions like Brad Marchand and Seth Jones.

Congratulations to the Panthers, the top team in the NHL for the 2024-25 season.

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