Connor McDavid suffered a bitter defeat in the final with Edmonton. © APA / CODIE MCLACHLAN
The Florida Panthers are the 2024 Stanley Cup winners – and have plunged the Edmonton Oilers, including the two superstars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, into a deep valley of tears.
25. June 2024
By: apa/det
In the decisive seventh game of the NHL final series, the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in their own arena north of Miami and won with an overall score of 4-3. While Florida celebrated the first championship in its history with its own fans, the Oilers slipped into a painful summer break after missing a chapter in hockey history. Carter Verhaeghe (5th) and Sam Reinhart (36th) scored the goals for Florida, Mattias Janmark’s goal for Edmonton was not enough (7th).
With a fourth victory, the Oilers would have made sports history. The team, led by the two offensive artists Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, began the final series with three defeats in a row. But then the traditional Canadian club began an incredible comeback, forcing a decisive seventh game.
Edmonton would have been only the second team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup Finals after three losses in the opening round. The only previous success was achieved by the Toronto Maple Leafs 82 years ago.
The dry spell for Canadian teams would also have been over; the last time the NHL champions came from a country other than the USA was 31 years ago. But Florida was able to break free from its slump of the last few days and thus shattered the Oilers’ dream in the most bitter way possible.
