The Florida Panthers put a beating on the Edmonton Oilers in front of their home fans in Game 5, pulling out a decisive 5-2 victory and putting the series in their hands. Game 6 took place Tuesday night (June 17) at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with the Panthers on the cusp of a second-consecutive Stanley Cup. The Oilers came in needing a win to send the series back to Edmonton for Game 7.
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The Panthers won this one 5-1 to capture the 2025 Stanley Cup. Here’s your game recap.
Game Recap
The Oilers started with early pressure, hemming the Panthers in their zone and throwing the body at will. Despite that, it was the Panthers that struck first in this one. Sam Reinhart created a turnover, put the moves on the Oilers’ defense and roofed his eighth of the playoffs. The play was fast-moving, and it was clear the referees were letting some things go. A four-on-four midway through the period saw a couple of good chances, but nothing more. The Panthers would strike a second time in the final minute of the period, courtesy of a Matthew Tkachuk laser. The period would end in favour of the Panthers 2-0, with the shots slightly in the Oilers’ favour at 10-9.
The second began much like the first. Edmonton put on pressure, but the stout defense of Florida stood tall and held. The Oilers pushed all period, but their stars were stuffed constantly. The Panthers would add a huge third goal late in the period when Reinhart redirected another one home. Through 40 minutes, it was all Florida as they held a 3-0 lead. The shot board read 20-18 in favour of Edmonton.
The final period was a pure defensive masterclass by the Panthers. They were able to hold the Oilers at bay and give them virtually no chance at a comeback, while also spending a decent amount of time in the offensive zone as well. Edmonton would pull Stuart Skinner with seven minutes remaining, but it wouldn’t matter. Reinhart would finish off his first career playoff hat trick with a wrister on the empty cage.
Skinner would head to the bench a couple minutes later, but once again, Reinhart would cash in and score his fourth of the game. The Oilers would finally get on the board just seconds after that when Vasily Podkolzin banged home a loose puck. Then, Evander Kane received a late 10-minute misconduct as the refs tried to keep things civil.
The final score would be 5-1 Panthers, with the shots in favour of the Oilers 29-25.
And with that, the Panthers were back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
The stars were out for the champions in this one. Reinhart potted four goals to lead his team to victory, Alexsander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each added a pair of assists, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves.
Lastly, Sam Bennett won the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy for top performer of the playoffs.
