Sam Reinhart scored four goals as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 to secure the Stanley Cup trophy for the second year in a row.
The Panthers settled the best-of-seven finals series with a 4-2 victory on home ice at Amerant Bank Arena. This was a repeat of last year’s Finals, when the Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup championship 4-3 in the series.
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“It’s not easy to defend a title,” Reinhart said of the challenge of winning two years in a row. “Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t. We persevered. A lot has to fall into place to stand here in the end, and we were ready for the challenge again.”
Reinhart became the first player since Maurice Richard in 1957 to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Final game. He opened the scoring after just 4 minutes and 36 seconds, and the Panthers held the lead for the rest of the game.
Matthew Tkachuk – who revealed he was playing with a torn adductor muscle and hernia – increased the lead to 2-0 before the first intermission. Reinhart then added three more goals without an answer from Edmonton.
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Vasily Podkolzin cut it to 1-5 for the Oilers, but that was only a consolation for the five-time Stanley Cup-winning team, which hasn’t won the trophy since 1989-90.
“We are a dynasty,” Tkachuk said. “I can’t believe this has happened. It shows how amazing this group is, the depth we have. The culture here is completely unique. Hopefully we can do it again.”
Panthers make NHL history
With the 2025 win, the Florida Panthers have:
- Won two Stanley Cup titles (2024 and 2025)
- Become the 11th team in NHL history to win two years in a row
- Joined an exclusive club with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings as the only teams with multiple titles in the last 20 years
From underdogs to champions
Prior to this success, the Panthers had only:
- One Stanley Cup Final (in 1996, lost 0–4 to the Colorado Avalanche)
- No titles in their first 30 seasons (1993–2023)
Now they have won two in two years – and confirmed Florida’s place as one of the NHL’s new hockey capitals.
Now what?
As the Panthers celebrate their second championship and prepare for another victory parade, one thing is clear:
They are no longer chasing history – they are writing it.
Sources: NHL.com, ESPN, Panthers official channels
