On Saturday night, the Florida Panthers had an opportunity to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row, while they faced a desperate New York Rangers squad looking to force a Game 7.
Sam Bennett opened up the scoring for the Panthers with less than a minute to play in the first period. The game would remain at 1-0 until the third period when Vladimir Tarasenko added a second goal for the Panthers. Tarasenko's tally would stand at the game winner, as the Florida Panthers defeated the New York Rangers in Game 6, taking the series by four game to two.
With the win, this means that three former Vancouver Canucks will be advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, most notably defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who the team bought out last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Ekman-Larsson went on to sign a one-year contract worth $2.25 million with the Panthers for the 2023-24 season and has had his most productive season since 2018-19 when he was a member of the Arizona Coyotes. In 80 games during the regular season, Ekman-Larsson had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) and so far has four points in 17 playoff games.
The other two former Vancouver Canucks on Florida's roster are Will Lockwood and Jonah Gadjovich. Neither have appeared in a game for the Florida Panthers during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but both did get into some games during the regular season.
Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers is set for Saturday, June 6th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
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