Florida Panthers defeat Edmonton Oilers to win Stanley Cup

In a heartbreaking defeat, the bid of the Edmonton Oilers to stage one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history fell just one win short.

On Monday night in Sunrise, Fla., the Florida Panthers defeated the Oilers 2-1 to secure the 2024 Stanley Cup Championship.

The Panthers took the lead 4:27 into the game.

Shortly after missing a power play opportunity, Carter Verhaeghe redirected a shot past goaltender Stuart Skinner.

The Oilers responded just over two minutes later. Cody Ceci delivered a stretch pass to Mattias Janmark, who scored his fourth playoff goal by beating Sergei Bobrovsky blocker side.

Panthers center Sam Reinhart scored the lone goal of the second period to put Florida ahead. His shot from the right wing beat Skinner short side with 4:49 remaining in the frame.

The Oilers had a couple of chances with seven minutes left in the third period.

Evan Bouchard unleashed a one-timer, but Bobrovsky made the save by moving to his right. With Bobrovsky down, Zach Hyman attempted to score but was unsuccessful. With three minutes remaining, Connor McDavid’s deflection just missed the net.

The Oilers couldn’t create a chance after pulling Skinner for an extra attacker. Bobrovsky finished with 23 saves, while Skinner made 19.

Connor McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

He accumulated 42 points during the post-season, the fourth-highest in history. McDavid became the first player from a losing team to win the Conn Smythe since 2003.

The Oilers managed to force a seventh game after trailing 3-0 in the series — only the tenth time in NHL history a best-of-seven series has gone to a Game 7 after one team held a 3-0 lead.

This victory marks the Panthers’ first Stanley Cup title. The Oilers were aiming for their sixth championship and their first since 1990. The last Canadian team to win the Cup was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.

The Oilers had a history of bouncing back this season. They began the regular season with just two wins in their first 12 games. Following a win over Seattle on Nov. 11 to improve their record to 3-9-1, head coach Jay Woodcroft was fired the next day and replaced by Kris Knoblauch.

Under Knoblauch, the Oilers recorded a 16-game winning streak from Dec. 21 to Jan. 27.

To reach the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers defeated Los Angeles in five games, Vancouver in seven, and Dallas in six. They were behind 2-1 in both the Vancouver and Dallas series.

This was the Oilers’ first appearance in the Final since 2006 when they lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

— This is a breaking news story. More to come…

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