On a thunderous night in Sunrise, Florida, the Florida Panthers secured their second consecutive Stanley Cup title with a commanding 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6. Leading the charge was forward Sam Reinhart, who delivered a remarkable four-goal performance — a feat not achieved in the Stanley Cup Final since 1957.
A Historic Night for Reinhart and the Panthers
The tone was set early when Reinhart capitalized on a turnover and scored an off-balance goal less than five minutes into the game. Shortly before the end of the first period, Matthew Tkachuk extended Florida’s lead to 2-0 with a well-placed finish.
The second period saw heightened physicality, and Florida responded with composure and precision. Reinhart tallied his second goal after Aleksander Barkov’s centering pass deflected off his skate. In the third period, Reinhart secured an empty-net goal, recording the franchise’s first-ever postseason hat trick. Moments later, he added a fourth — making him just the sixth player in NHL history to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Final game, and the first to do so in 68 years.
Oilers Come Up Short Once Again
Edmonton’s Vasily Podkolzin found the net late in the third period, but by that point, the outcome was effectively sealed. The Oilers have now lost in back-to-back Finals to Florida and extend Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, which dates back to the Montreal Canadiens’ triumph in 1993.
Despite strong postseason performances from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers struggled to overcome Florida’s relentless forecheck, physical dominance, and timely scoring.
Conn Smythe Awarded to Sam Bennett
Although Reinhart stole the spotlight in Game 6, Sam Bennett was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the playoffs. Bennett registered 15 goals throughout the postseason, including five in the Final, and was a consistent force in all three zones.
The Cup Handoff: A Gesture of Brotherhood
One of the evening’s most poignant moments came when Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov chose to pass the Stanley Cup first to veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt, a first-time champion in his 12th NHL season.
“He just looked at me,” Schmidt recalled. “Then he gave me the look — the ‘captain stare.’ You don’t turn away from that. It was the best lap of hockey I’ve ever had in my life.”
The Cup then made its rounds: from Schmidt to Seth Jones, Tomas Nosek, and Vitek Vanecek, before reaching core players like Sergei Bobrovsky, Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, and others. It eventually landed in the hands of general manager Bill Zito, owner Vincent Viola, and head coach Paul Maurice.
Several of these players — including Schmidt and Nosek — had previously experienced heartbreak in the Final. This year, they earned long-awaited redemption.
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