The Florida Panthers overcame a slow start in Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes to pick up a 5-3 victory and book their spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season. And while the team is pleased to have taken care of business against the Hurricanes after failing to sweep them in Game 4, Matthew Tkachuk wasn’t interested in celebrating their big win on Wednesday night.
Florida fell behind 2-0 early against Carolina in this one, but they rattled off three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead in the second period. Seth Jarvis managed to tie things up at three midway through the third period, but Carter Verhaeghe scored the eventual game-winner less than four minutes later before Sam Bennett potted an empty-netter to officially send the Panthers back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers All ‘Business’ After Game 5 Win
After emerging as a surprise force in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Florida has been arguably the best team in the NHL. While they came up short against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, they managed to avoid throwing away a 3-0 lead in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers by winning the series in Game 7. Now, they will be facing off against either the Oilers or the Dallas Stars in the Final in 2025.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Panthers emergence has coincided with Tkachuk’s turn into a full-fledged superstar. While he notched 104 points in the 2021-22 campaign, he took things to another level next season when he racked up 109 points. He also has a penchant for delivering in the postseason, as he’s got 62 points in his 61 playoff games over the past three years.
Reaching the Stanley Cup Final in three straight years isn’t something a team should take for granted, and Florida certainly isn’t taking this accomplishment lightly. However, Tkachuk knows they’ve got bigger fish to fry, and he explained the team’s business-like mentality that led to a rather muted celebration after they sent Carolina packing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point. It’s all business, and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind,” Tkachuk said in the wake of the team’s Game 5 victory.
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers Looking to Win Second Straight Stanley Cup
Bruce Bennett/Getty Matthew Tkachuk, of the Florida Panthers and his fiancée, Ellie Connell, celebrate with the Stanley Cup.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but the Panthers managed to avoid catastrophe last season when they defeated the Oilers in seven games last season to win the Stanley Cup. A rematch with Edmonton appears to be the most likely occurrence at this point, as they hold a 3-1 series lead over Dallas heading into Game 5, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday night 8 p.m. ET.
Regardless of who Florida ends up facing off against, Tkachuk and company are going to enter their third straight Stanley Cup Final with one goal in mind, and that’s to win. By now, they are familiar with the route it takes to get to this spot, and they will look to establish themselves as a dynasty by winning their second straight championship this season.
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