No three-peat is happening anytime soon.
The Florida Panthers’ quest for a third straight Stanley Cup is over.
Following a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the back-to-back champions were eliminated from playoff contention.
If someone who doesn’t follow the Cats were ask what went wrong, the brief explanation is simple. The team ran through three consecutive finals and two championships, resulting in three shortened summers, inadequate rehabilitation, and injuries. It’s important to add the Olympic pressure and the 10 players who traveled to Italy to represent their nations.
Signing Daniil Tarasov, a backup goaltender with shaky statistics, was a gamble. It didn’t work out as Sergei Bobrovsky, the 37-year-old two-time Vezina Trophy winner, hasn’t had enough days off. He has played in 51 games with 50 starts this season. The teams’ goal differential in 76 contests is -29 (228 scored, 257 allowed). Even with those negative numbers, four players have collected 53+ points, including Sam Reinhart with 61 points (29 goals).
So, was there a chance to fight back from the bottom of the Eastern Conference? Despite their best efforts, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions managed just six wins in 15 games in March. By early April, relentless injuries left 11 players sidelined.
In short, that’s the story. More analysis is coming soon.
The Panthers will finish their regular season at home against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, April 15.