Florida Wins First-Ever Stanley Cup

Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) assisted on the game-opening goal, and the host Florida Panthers went on to a 2-1 victory in the deciding Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Edmonton had won the previous three games in the best-of-seven series, after Florida had claimed the first three contests. The Cup win was the first in Florida's 30-year history, while Edmonton was seeking its sixth NHL title all-time, and first since 1990. 

Florida's Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart sandwiched goals around one by Edmonton's Mattias Janmark through the first 40 minutes of play, while the third period was scoreless before 19,939 on-lookers at Amerant Bank Arena. Sergei Brobovsky made 23 saves in net for the Panthers, while Stuart Skinner finished with 19 stops for the Oilers.

Besides Rodrigues, other players with NCAA ties on this year's Panthers' roster included William Lockwood (Michigan), Ryan Lomberg (Maine), Brandon Montour (Massachusetts), Kyle Okposo (Minnesota), Mike Reilly (Minnesota), Mackie Samoskevich (Michigan) and Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha). Lomberg, Montour, Okposo and Stolarz all played in the Cup final along with Rodrigues. Also in the Panthers' lineup was Spencer Knight (Boston College), as the third-string goaltender, although he spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season playing for Charlotte (AHL).

The Oilers came up one game short of becoming the first Canadian team to win the Cup since 1993, and the first NHL club to rebound from an 0-3 deficit in the final since 1945. Edmonton's Connor McDavid still won this year's Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP, just the sixth player from the losing team in the final to do so, and the first since 2003. He also led all NHL skaters in this year's postseason with 42 points, including a league-record 34 assists.

Oilers Win Again in Stanley Cup Final

Zach Hyman (Michigan) finally got a goal in this year's Stanley Cup Final—and now the Edmonton Oilers are one win away from tying the series, after losing the first three games. 

Hyman, who scored a career-high 54 goals during the NHL regular season, notched his league-leading 15th goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday on a power play as the Oilers raced out to a three-goal lead and held on for a 5-3 win over the host Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. The Panthers still lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two, but failed to close it out and win the Cup for the second straight game, this time at home before 19,956 spectators at Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida rebounded to make it a 4-2 contest by the end of the second stanza, with Brandon Montour (Massachusetts) setting up Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) for his league-best fourth goal of the final late in the period. The Panthers then closed to within a goal just over four minutes into the final frame, but Edmonton held on to close out matters with an empty-net goal in the final half-minute by NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid, who has recorded eight points (3g-5a) for the Oilers over the last two games.

Game Six is Friday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Panthers Take 3-0 NHL Playoff Series Lead

Brandon Montour (Massachusetts) scored one goal and set up another, and Kyle Okposo (Minnesota) registered an assist in his first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in eight years, as the Florida Panthers defeated the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, in Game Three of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight. 

Florida, the NHL's defending Eastern Conference champion, now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to none. Tyler Motte (Michigan) scored one of the Lightning's three goals, which put them up by a 2-1 count at the time.

Florida will attempt to sweep the series in Game Four on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, as the Panthers also look to win a playoff series against the Lightning for the first time ever. Tampa Bay, which claimed three straight Eastern Conference titles between 2020 and 2022 while also winning two Stanley Cups in that span, is seeking to avoid a second straight opening-round playoff ouster.

Hockey East Alums Star in 2022 NHL Playoffs

Three Hockey East alums figured prominently in tonight's NHL action. Two of them not only kept their respective teams alive in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but also forced deciding seventh games on Sunday, while the third saw his squad advance to the second round.

Chris Kreider (Boston College) scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, as the visiting New York Rangers staved off elimination with a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kreider, a 52-goal scorer during the 2021-22 NHL regular season, won two NCAA titles while at BC (2010, 2012) while tallying 49 goals and 92 points over three seasons with the Eagles.

Jake Oettinger (Boston University) stopped 34 of 36 shots, earning him First Star of the Game honors, as the Dallas Stars rebounded to outlast the Calgary Flames, 4-2. Oettinger, 23, went 58-40-11 in three NCAA seasons with the Terriers, posting a 2.34 goals-against average and 13 shutouts, while also leading BU to two NCAA tournament berths.

In addition, Brandon Montour (Massachusetts) had three hits and two shots on goal, and also blocked one opposing shot, as the visiting Florida Panthers ousted the Washington Capitals, 4-3, in overtime in Game 6 of their first-round series. The Panthers, who had the top record in the NHL during the 2021-22 regular season, will face the winner of the Tampa Bay-Toronto series, which is headed to a seventh game tomorrow. Montour, 28, recorded three goals and 20 points in his lone NCAA campaign with UMass in 2014-15.

NCAA Players Moved at 2021 NHL Trade Deadline

 

Following is a list of NCAA-trained players who were moved between April 1 and Monday's 2021 NHL trading deadline:

Player (School) Old NHL Club-New NHL Club

Ben Hutton (Maine) Anaheim-Toronto

Nick Desimone (Union) San Jose-Vegas

Josh Dickinson (Clarkson) Colorado-Chicago

Adam Gaudette (Northeastern) Vancouver-Chicago

Anders Bjork (Notre Dame) Boston-Buffalo

Mike Reilly (Minnesota) Ottawa-Boston

Jon Merrill (Michigan) Detroit-Montreal 

Brandon Montour (UMass) Buffalo-Florida

Henrik Borgstrom (Denver) Florida-Chicago

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) New Jersey-NY Islanders

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) New Jersey-NY Islanders

A.J. Greer (Boston Univ.) NY Islanders-New Jersey

Mason Jobst (Ohio State) NY Islanders-New Jersey

Vinnie Hinostroza (Notre Dame) Florida-Chicago