Florida Panthers win Stanley Cup: Game 6 recap on how they topped Edmonton Oilers

Sam Reinhart produced the first four-goal performance in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1957, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal of his own and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 to end the series in six games.

Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the league with 15 postseason goals. Aleksander Barkov received the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for the second straight year, and handed it off to defenseman Nate Schmidt to begin the celebration.

Eetu Luostarinen #27 of the Florida Panthers celebrates a goal against the Edmonton Oilers with teammates Brad Marchand #63, Gustav Forsling #42 and Anton Lundell #15 of the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game Five of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on June 14, 2025 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Barkov was one of five Panthers players to surpass 20 points in the playoffs, along with Bennett, Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Marchand, one of two key pieces acquired before the NHL's trade deadline by general manager Bill Zito.

The Panthers became the fifth team in the last 35 years to capture back-to-back Stanley Cups, joining their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who did so in 2020-21. Florida improved to 11-0 all-time when scoring first in a potential series-clinching game.

Panthers win 2nd straight Stanley Cup, defeat Oilers 5-1

The Florida Panthers completed their Stanley Cup title defense, crushing the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 to win the best-of-seven series.

Sam Reinhart became the first player to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1957, Matthew Tkachuk added one of his own and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves to clinch the title.

Another one: Sam Reinhart scores 4th goal into empty net

Sam Reinhart hit the empty net again for his fourth goal of the night, but Vasily Podkolzin broke up Sergei Bobrovsky's shutout bid with 4:42 left in regulation. The Florida Panthers have a 5-1 lead against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6.

Sam Reinhart completes hat trick; Panthers up 4-0

Sam Reinhart completed the first postseason hat trick in Florida Panthers history, all but icing the team's second straight Stanley Cup triumph. Reinhart flung the puck into the empty net from the Edmonton blue line, making the score 4-0 with 6:34 remaining in regulation.

Reinhart's hat trick is the 36th all-time in Stanley Cup Final history, but just the second this century. Mark Stone achieved the feat at Florida's expense two years ago.

Oilers pull goalie with 7 minutes left

Stuart Skinner has gone to the bench for an extra attacker with seven minutes remaining and the Edmonton Oilers down 3-0.

Panthers maintaining 3-0 lead nearly halfway through 3rd period

Only two stoppages have occurred in the opening 8:49 of the third period, and time is on the Florida Panthers' side.

Sergei Bobrovsky has turned aside four Edmonton shots, and the Panthers have blocked several other attempts to maintain a 3-0 lead near the halfway mark of the third. If Florida holds on, it will capture the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.

End of second period: Panthers 3, Oilers 0

The Florida Panthers are 20 minutes away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

Florida will take a 3-0 lead into the third period thanks to a pair of goals from Sam Reinhart and another from Matthew Tkachuk. Sergei Bobrovsky has made 20 saves.

According to The Athletic's James Mirtle, the Panthers' 92 goals are the most for any team in a single postseason since 1993. Should they close the Oilers out, they will set a new league record for the most time led in a single Stanley Cup Final (255 minutes, 49 seconds).

Panthers take 3-0 lead on Sam Reinhart's 2nd goal

The Panthers cashed in on a juicy Stuart Skinner rebound to take a 3-0 lead with 2:29 to play in the second period.

Carter Verhaeghe flung a seemingly harmless shot from the wall that a standing Skinner shrugged off with his right shoulder. With no Oiler in sight, Aleksander Barkov pounced on the free puck and his shot deflected off Sam Reinhart's skate and in.

Edmonton's defensive pairing of Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak were caught on the ice for 1:31 prior to the goal. Skinner has surrendered three goals on 18 Panthers shots.

Sergei Bobrovsky keeps Panthers ahead 2-0 with tip save

Sergei Bobrovsky made his 17th save of the night, fending off a blocker-side redirection by Jeff Skinner to preserve the Panthers' 2-0 lead with 10:34 left in the second period.

Gustav Forsling disrupts 2 Connor McDavid scoring chances

Gustav Forsling sprawled on the ice and disrupted a pair of Connor McDavid potential one-time passes intended for Corey Perry, keeping the Panthers ahead 2-0 less than three minutes into the second.

End of first period: Panthers 2, Oilers 0

Another dominant first period has the Panthers on the precipice of a Stanley Cup defense.

Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk scored a goal apiece, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 10 shots to send the Panthers to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. Over the last four games, Florida has put nine unanswered first-period goals past the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry were on the ice for both Florida goals, as was defenseman Evan Bouchard. Stuart Skinner made seven saves in the period.

Panthers take 2-0 lead on Matthew Tkachuk goal

Matthew Tkachuk fired home a second Florida goal through traffic, putting the Panthers ahead 2-0 in the final minute of the first period.

Anton Lundell set a screen in transition, and Eetu Luostarinen found Tkachuk fresh off the bench for an open look. Tkachuk recorded his eighth goal of the playoffs.

Stuart Skinner comes up big against Panthers' 4th line

Stuart Skinner made a pair of saves in tight against AJ Greer, keeping the Oilers' deficit at 1-0 with 2:21 left in the first period.

Shots are 10-8 in favor of Edmonton, but Sam Reinhart's goal is the difference for defending champion Florida.

Sam Bennett, Evander Kane called for coincidental minors

Sam Bennett and Evander Kane spent two minutes each in the penalty box after stirring up a post-whistle scrum near the net. Kane was called for slashing, and Bennett for roughing at the 9:45 mark of the first period.

Sergei Bobrovsky kicked out an Evan Bouchard slap shot with his right pad early in the four-on-four, and neither team took advantage of the extra room.

Florida maintains a 1-0 lead with 6:57 left until the intermission.

Sam Reinhart scores with Panthers' first shot on goal

Selke Trophy finalist Sam Reinhart pickpocketed Evan Bouchard just outside Edmonton's offensive zone, slipped past Mattias Ekholm and beat Stuart Skinner glove-side to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 15:24 left in the period.

Edmonton registered the game's first four shots, but the Panthers have struck first for the fifth consecutive game. Florida maintains a 12-4 scoring advantage in the first period during the series.

The Panthers are 10-0 all-time when scoring first in potential series-clinching games.

Panthers lines, defense pairings during warmups

With the Stanley Cup inside Amerant Bank Arena, here is how the Florida Panthers will line up for Game 6, aiming to defend their championship:

FORWARDS

Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart

Evan Rodrigues — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand

AJ Greer — Tomáš Nosek — Jonah Gadjovich

DEFENSEMEN

Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones

Nate Schmidt — Dmitry Kulikov

GOALTENDERS

Sergei Bobrovsky (starter)

Vitek Vanecek

Stuart Skinner expected to start in goal for Oilers

Kris Knoblauch will turn to Stuart Skinner between the pipes with the Oilers' season on the line.

The Edmonton native has been pulled twice in the series in favor of Calvin Pickard, but he draws back into the starting lineup for Game 6. Skinner has posted an unsightly .860 save percentage to this point against the Panthers, but he has seven wins — including three shutouts — with a 2.99 GAA in 14 appearances this postseason.

Here is the rest of the Oilers' lineup for warmups:

FORWARDS

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Corey Perry

Evander Kane — Leon Draisaitl — Kasperi Kapanen

Jeff Skinner — Adam Henrique — Trent Frederic

Vasily Podkolzin — Mattias Janmark — Connor Brown

DEFENSEMEN

Darnell Nurse — Brett Kulak

Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard

Jake Walman — John Klingberg

GOALTENDERS

Stuart Skinner (starter)

Calvin Pickard

2025 Stanley Cup Final schedule

Game 6: June 17 in Sunrise, 8 p.m. ET

*Game 7: June 20 in Edmonton, 8 p.m. ET

*if necessary

How to watch Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers in Game 6

Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise

Time: 8 p.m.

TV: TNT/truTV.

Stream: HBO Max and Sling TV

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida Panthers win Stanley Cup: Game 6 recap on how they topped Edmonton Oilers