Panthers retain Stanley Cup by routing Oilers in G6
Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six against the Edmonton Oilers 5-1. Photo: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images/Reuters
The Florida Panthers, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in the series-clinching game six of the Finals.
Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2.
The Panthers beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead.
They became the first team to defeat the same foe in the final two years in a row, since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978.
The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990.
Edmonton selected Stuart Skinner as the starting goaltender after using Calvin Pickard in a 5-2 game-five loss on Saturday.
Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period, taking a pass from Finnish left wing Eetu Luostarinen and firing the puck past Skinner.
Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period when Skinner surrendered a rebound off a Carter Verhaeghe's shot and Florida's Aleksander Barkov fired a shot that Reinhart deflected into the net.
Fans began chanting, "We want the Cup" in the third period as the precious final minutes ran out on Edmonton.
The Oilers pulled Skinner in favour of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay, netting his third goal into an empty net with 6:34 remaining and his fourth also into an unprotected net with 5:05 remaining.
Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout. (AFP)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
23-06-2025
- RTHK
Thunder hold off Pacers to win first-ever NBA title
Thunder hold off Pacers to win first-ever NBA title The most valuable player for the regular season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was also named Finals MVP. Photo: Reuters The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the injury-depleted Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists and the Thunder's swarming defence finally proved too much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth. "It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief," Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking. "It's crazy to know that we're all here. But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this," he added. Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honours to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship. A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's move to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s – remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBA-ABA merger. Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points – all on three-pointers – when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment. Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T J McConnell added 16 points apiece and Andrew Nembhard scored 15. But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short. (AFP)
RTHK
22-06-2025
- RTHK
Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets in blockbuster deal
Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets in blockbuster deal Durant joined Phoenix in 2023 after spending two-and-a-half seasons in Brooklyn. File photo: Reuters Two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant has been traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets for eight players in a blockbuster deal he confirmed. The swap, which can be completed when the league begins the 2025-26 season in two weeks, would send the 36-year-old forward to Houston in exchange for guard Jalen Green and swingman Dillon Brooks, as well as the 10th pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft and five future second-round picks, according to media reports. The move unites Durant, a four-time Olympic champion with the US squad and the 2014 NBA MVP, with a rising young Houston squad guided by coach Ime Udoka that finished 52-30, second in the Western Conference behind overall NBA leader Oklahoma City. Durant was appearing on a panel at Fanatics Fest in New York when the news broke and told reporter Kay Adams he was happy with the move. "Being part of the Houston Rockets, I'm looking forward to it," Durant said. "Crazy, crazy last couple weeks, but I'm glad it's over with." The Suns had the highest payroll in NBA history but stumbled to a 36-46 season, finishing 11th in the West, with Durant averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots a game. Terms can be agreed for NBA moves but cannot be finalised until the moratorium ahead of the new league season ends in July. Durant has an expiring US$54.7 million contract but would be eligible for a two-year extension after a trade, which narrowed likely suitors to the teams where he would sign a longer-term deal. The second-round picks in the deal coming to Phoenix include Wednesday's 59th overall selection, two choices in 2026, a 2030 pick and a 2032 selection, ESPN reported. (AFP)
RTHK
22-06-2025
- RTHK
HK wins two bronzes in fencing championships final day
HK wins two bronzes in fencing championships final day The men's foil team beat Chinese Taipei to claim the bronze medal. Photo courtesy of the International Fencing Federation The women's epee team defeated Japan in the bronze medal match. Photo courtesy of the International Fencing Federation Team Hong Kong, China concluded the Asian Fencing Championships in Bali with a strong finish, securing bronze medals in both the men's foil and women's epee team events on Sunday. The men's foil team, featuring individual gold medallist Ryan Choi alongside Edgar Cheung, Leung Chin-yu and Lawrence Ng, narrowly missed a place in the final. They built a comfortable lead against Japan in the semi-finals, but a tough 3-12 loss for two-time Olympic gold medallist Cheung in the final bout saw Japan edge past Hong Kong 45-43. This denied Hong Kong its first team final appearance since 2018. The team bounced back decisively, defeating Chinese Taipei 45-31 to claim the bronze medal. Japan took the gold, with the national team earning silver. Meanwhile, the women's epee squad, with individual bronze medallist Kaylin Hsieh, Coco Lin, Natalie Chan and Moonie Chu, started powerfully. They dominated Turkmenistan 45-22 in the first round and overcame Singapore 42-33 in the quarter-finals to reach the semis. Facing world No. 2 China proved challenging, resulting in a 31-45 defeat. However, the team secured their podium finish by defeating Japan 40-32 in the bronze medal match. This double bronze medal performance on the final day capped an outstanding championships for Hong Kong, China. The SAR team finished the competition with an impressive haul of one gold and four bronze medals across individual and team events.
