The Florida Panthers are officially playing games in April. With three games already complete, there are only five left in the team’s schedule for the rest of the season. After that is the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And for the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Panthers will not play in the playoffs. They are the current Stanley Cup Champions, having defeated the Edmonton Oilers in two straight Cup Final series.
To say that there has been a strong reaction to the news would be a mild understatement. Here is the social media reaction to the news along with details about the last time a back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion missed the playoffs the year after.
Reaction to the Florida Panthers Being Eliminated From the Playoffs
There has been a strong reaction to the news of the Panthers being eliminated from the playoffs. For the most part, hockey fans are happy that a new team will hoist the Stanley Cup this coming June.
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer team,” wrote one fan, who included a throwing up emoji at the end of their post.
“HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAJAHAJAHAHAHAHAHAH,” wrote another fan.
Another creative hockey fan posted a screenshot of them listening to a song from the Wicked film titled “No One Mourns the Wicked.”
“The penguins avenged connor mcdavid and the oilers today,” posted one fan on social media.
Another fan brought up how some pundits had pegged the Panthers as early contenders to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup, “last summer i read how the panthers could be the first NHL three-peat in 40 years and it plagued me but ig it was kinda like being horrified after learning of the bermuda triangle as a kid in the sense that u never have to actually face it thankfully.”
“Let this no three-peat carry over for the Dodgers too this season,” chimed in another fan who also follows the MLB.
“The vegas golden knights next please?” wrote another hockey fan.
How Many Times Has the Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Champion Missed the Playoffs the Following Year?
The Panthers are the third team in the history of the NHL to win back-to-back Stanley Cups and then miss the playoffs the year after their second cup. The two other instances happened to the Detroit Red Wings (1936 & 1937) and the Montreal Canadiens (1968 & 1969).
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