In a back-and-forth Game 6, the Florida Panthers took the contest and the Eastern Conference title from the New York Rangers with a 2-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena. For the second season in a row and the third time in their history, they’ll represent the East in the Stanley Cup Final — they lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and were swept back in 1996 against the Colorado Avalanche.
With less than a minute remaining in the first period, Sam Bennett got the Panthers on the board. Off a rather innocent rush, Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba overcommitted to a stick check, which created some open space for Florida. With the extra room, Bennett dished the puck off to teammate Evan Rodrigues, got it back, and then blasted one over the glove of New York netminder Igor Shesterkin.
About midway through the third period, the Panthers got their dagger. Forward Eetu Luostarinen won a puck battle, then gave the puck to Anton Lundell who found Vladimir Tarasenko in front of the net for an easy goal that Shesterkin had no chance on. With a two-goal lead, Florida never looked back and cruised to a victory. Artemi Panarin for the Rangers made the Panthers sweat a bit at the end, but it was too little, too late.
News and Notes
For the Rangers, this is their third time in a row losing in the Eastern Conference Final when they’ve made it. They lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in both 2015 and 2022, and now the Panthers this season. Florida-based teams seem to be their kryptonite.
The Panthers will be hunting their first Stanley Cup in the history of their franchise, either against the Edmonton Oilers or the Dallas Stars pending the results of the Western Conference Final. If the Oilers win Game 6 or Game 7 of their series, the Panthers will have the home-ice advantage. If the Stars win both contests, the Panthers would be the road team in the Stanley Cup Final.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Hub
For the fifth season in a row, the Stanley Cup Final will have a Florida-based team representing the Eastern Conference. The Lightning served as this from 2020-2022, while the Panthers have now done so in back-to-back seasons. Before this run, the Lightning and Panthers had only made it to the Final three times combined.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, no matter how long the Oilers-Stars series takes, will take place on June 8. The Panthers have yet to win the first game of the Stanley Cup Final in their history, losing 3-1 to the Avalanche in 1996 and 5-2 to the Golden Knights in 2023. They’ll look to break this trend.