Close to a historic collapse.
But the Florida Panthers won the seventh and decisive Stanley Cup final – and Sweden has three new NHL winners.
– You think about all the hard work you put in and everyone who helped you along the way, says Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Aftonbladet.
The Florida Panthers were already close last year, but then lost the final series against the Vegas Golden Knights. This year, they were one of the favorites early on, and for a long time it looked like it wouldn’t even be very exciting in the final series against the Edmonton Oilers.
The super drama
The Panthers won the first three games of the series, and not since 1942 had a team that did that then lose the series. But the Panthers were actually close to a historic collapse. The Oilers, who were looking to become the first Canadian team to win the title since 1993, won games four, five and six, thus forcing a seventh and decisive game, in Florida.
In advance, the game was called the greatest in NHL history, as the Panthers chased a first Stanley Cup title in history, and the Oilers would break the Canadian curse. But it was the panthers who got to cheer.
They took an early lead in the seventh game, and despite a goal from Sweden’s Mattias Janmark, there were cheers at home. Sam Reinhart scored the 2-1 goal in the second period, and there were never more goals, despite the Edmonton Oilers peppering shots at Sergei Bobrovsky in goal.
The Swedish success
Connor McDavid, who broke several of Wayne Gretzky’s notable records this playoff, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff’s most valuable player, but he went scoreless in the final two games of the series. Instead, it was Florida who got to celebrate their first title ever – and Sweden got three new Stanley Cup winners. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has played in the NHL since 2010, won his first title.
– It just feels incredibly good. So damn fun. You think about all the hard work you put in and everyone who helped you along the way, says Ekman-Larsson to Aftonbladet.
The Swedish stars Gustav Forsling and Kevin Stenlund also had to lift the dent. Now the trio is looking forward to taking the dent to their respective hometowns in Sweden during the summer. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is looking forward to his visit to Tingsryd.
– Yes, there is nowhere I would rather take it. There are so many people who meant so much and helped with this. So to get the chance to show the dent there…it’s absolutely fantastic, he says.
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