When the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final last year, defenseman Aaron Ekblad made a statement.
“We will find a way to come back next year,” he said.
It’s not uncommon to hear this kind of thing from a team that fails so close to the goal. However, the Panthers kept their promise, a rarity in hockey.
The Panthers are only the second team in the last 40 years to return to the final round the season following a Stanley Cup Final loss.
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the final in 2008. Sidney Crosby’s team, however, lifted the trophy the following year, against the same Red Wings.
The Panthers won the Eastern Conference title for the second year in a row with their 2-1 win Saturday against the New York Rangers. The Panthers won the series in six games.
“It’s a lot of motivation, dedication and commitment,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. The correct elements have been added. Some excellent elements have been added. There is only one mindset: do everything possible to get back there. I thought the players that were there last year did an incredible job, right from the start of training camp, with that philosophy in mind. The work is therefore not finished. »
The first match of the final will be played on Saturday. If the Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers, Florida will have home ice advantage and will open the ball in front of its fans. If the Stars are the opponents, the series will begin on the Dallas side.
The Panthers’ top 10 scorers from last season are still on the team and additions have been made.
On the blue line, the team has three new defensemen who are Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola.
On offense, Kevin Stenlund came to strengthen the lineup. The Panthers also acquired winger and Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade with the Ottawa Senators.
Tarasenko scored the series-clinching goal against the Rangers.
“If you get to the finals, I don’t know how many teams can improve the next year because you usually pay several players because they made it to the finals and the salary cap changes, so you’re going to lose some a few,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. Our team is better than last year. »
Seeing a team return to the final after losing in the final round the previous year is more common in other major sports.
In the NBA, the runner-up team has returned to play for the top honors the following season in 26 of the league’s 77-year history, and has won 14 times.
In 120 years of baseball, the losing team in the World Series has been in the final 29 times. This has happened three times in the last decade.
In the NFL, Super Bowl losers have advanced to the next championship game eight times (3-5). The New England Patriots are the latest to do so.
