Florida Panthers 2025 Season: Road to the Stanley Cup Final

The defending champion Florida Panthers cruised through the 2024–25 NHL season and playoffs, punching their ticket to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final. After raising the 2024 championship banner on Opening Night – a game coach Paul Maurice called “a banner night all around,” with fans “wired and … a great buzz in the building.” – Florida ran its home record to 27–12–2 and finished 47–31–4 (98 points). Those 98 points tied for the fourth-most in franchise history, and 47 wins tied for third-most. As captain Aleksander Barkov noted before the playoffs, the Panthers entered the season with championship expectations already built in: “We know [Tampa Bay] really well…there’s a big rivalry between us”, he said.

Balancing high-end scoring and stifling defense all year, Florida ranked 15th in the league in 5-on-5 goals (3.00 per game) and 7th in goals-against (2.72). Sam Reinhart led the team with 39 goals and 81 points, while Barkov added 51 assists (71 points). Matthew Tkachuk, recovering from a long-term injury, was a 22-goal, 57-point force when healthy. Notably, seven different Panthers defensemen combined for 15 goals in the regular season – a veteran-laden blue line that tied NHL records for total defensemen goals in a season. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (33–19–2, 2.44 GAA, .906 SV%) provided steadiness after a slow October, finishing with the most wins (33) of any goalie in the league.

By April 5 the Panthers had clinched another postseason berth and, fueled by raucous crowds (the team sold out its allotted season tickets for the first time and drew over one million fans to Amerant Bank Arena, they were primed for a long playoff run. As Reinhart put it, “Everyone’s so competitive at this stage… against obviously one of our biggest rivals”. The regular season had plenty of highs – including a signature 6–4 win over Boston in Game 1 to raise that banner – but the real drama would come in May.

First Round vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (4–1)

Florida’s postseason began with the Battle of Florida. In Round 1 the Panthers, seeded 3rd in the Atlantic, swept the first two games in Tampa, quickly taking a 2–0 series lead. In Game 1, Matthew Tkachuk returned from injury with a bang, recording three points on an early barrage of goals. Nate Schmidt scored twice, and the Panthers scored three power-play goals in that 6–2 win. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots in the opener. Game 2 saw another early Stanley Cup hangover-free start: Tampa Bay got just one goal, while Florida won 2–0 on the strength of Bobrovsky’s 19-save shutout and an empty-netter by Sam Bennett. The Panthers were firing on all cylinders at Amalie Arena, up 2–0 in the series.

Tampa Bay, however, fought back. In Game 3 back in Sunrise, the Lightning exploded for five unanswered goals. Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel each piled up points in a 5–1 loss that made the series 2–1. Florida responded with resilience in Game 4. After Tampa jumped to a 2–1 lead late in the third, two veteran defensemen turned the game: Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones scored just 11 seconds apart to give Florida a 3–2 lead, and Carter Verhaeghe added an empty-net goal in a 4–2 comeback win. The series shifted back to Tampa with Florida up 3–1.

In Game 5 on the road, Florida overcame a 3–3 third-period tie. Sam Bennett gave the Panthers a lead with a goal at 15:13 of the third, Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart added insurance tallies, and Florida closed out the Lightning 6–3. Luostarinen had four points and Bobrovsky made 26 saves in the clincher. The Panthers took the series in five games. As Tampa coach Jon Cooper later admitted, “They have an exceptional team… not just an average team, an exceptional team.” Florida’s sweep of Amalie and strong special-teams play had set the tone.

Second Round vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (4–3)

Next came an epic war with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers stumbled out of the gate, dropping both games in Toronto (5–4 and 4–3) to fall into a 0–2 hole – a deficit they hadn’t faced since the 2023 Final. Game 1 saw Toronto build a 4–1 lead before Florida fought back late, but came up short. In Game 2 Florida led twice but could not close it out, falling 4–3 and suddenly on the brink of elimination.

Faced with 0–2 in the series, coach Paul Maurice made a bold lineup change instead of switching goalies: he replaced the entire fourth line of Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm and Jesper Boqvist with Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich for Game 3. The move paid immediate dividends. Game 3 (back in Sunrise) became an instant classic: Florida came back from down 2–1 and 3–2 to take a 4–3 second-period lead, and although Rielly tied it late, Brad Marchand (the off-season trade acquisition) scored at 15:27 of overtime to grab a 5–4 victory. That OT win (Florida’s first of the series) ignited a run of eight wins in ten games and swung momentum fully the Panthers’ way.

Florida didn’t look back. In Game 4, Carter Verhaeghe’s first-period power-play goal stood up as the only tally in a 2–0 victory (Bobrovsky shut out the Leafs with 23 saves). In Game 5 on the road Florida dominated 6–1 – six different Panthers scored, Jesper Boqvist and Reinhart each had two-point nights, and Bobrovsky made 31 saves. The Panthers led the series 3–2 and controlled their destiny back in Sunrise.

Game 6 was a stumble – Toronto won 2–0 in Sunrise behind Auston Matthews’ late goals, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Toronto. But in Game 7, Florida seized control early. The Panthers erupted for a 6–1 rout that ended the Leafs’ season in convincing fashion. Seth Jones, Anton Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich scored in a 6:24 span in the second period to build a 3–0 lead, Eetu Luostarinen added a third-period goal, Reinhart scored as part of the attack, and Marchand sealed it with an empty-netter. It was a full-team effort – six goals by six players, nine Panthers with at least a point – and Bobrovsky’s 19 saves made sure of it. Maurice praised the performance as a “textbook example of the dominating game the Panthers are capable of”. Florida had upset the higher-seeded Leafs 4–3 and advanced to the Conference Final for the third straight year.

Eastern Conference Final vs. Carolina Hurricanes (4–1)

The Conference Final pitted old rivals Florida and Carolina. Florida struck early at PNC Arena: they jumped to 2–0 leads in both Game 1 and Game 2 and won 5–2 and 5–0. Gustav Forsling and Sam Bennett provided key goals on the road, and Bobrovsky earned his third shutout of the postseason in Game 2. The Panthers appeared in full command, up 2–0 on the road.

Back in Sunrise, Florida remained unbeaten until Game 4. In Game 3 the Panthers scored five times in a 9:08 span during the third period – including two goals by Barkov – to win 6–2. Florida was a win from the Final, leading the series 3–0. Game 4 saw Carolina stave off elimination with a 3–0 shutout on home ice (Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen stopping all 20 shots).

In Game 5 back at PNC, the Panthers overcame another 2–0 first-period deficit. Sebastian Aho scored twice in the opening period for Carolina, but Florida responded in a flurry: Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell tallied in the second to make it 3–2 Florida. Seth Jarvis briefly tied it in the third, but Carter Verhaeghe’s goal at 12:21 of the third put Florida up 4–3. Sam Bennett later added an empty-net goal to seal the 5–3 victory and clinch the series. Barkov’s brilliance was on display – his brilliant drive-and-pass to Verhaeghe had set up the winning goal – and the Panthers celebrated their advancement back to the Stanley Cup Final. Maurice could finally lift the Prince of Wales Trophy.

Series Summary: Florida defeated Tampa Bay 4–1, then edged Toronto 4–3, and beat Carolina 4–1 to win the Eastern Conference. (See table below.) Across 17 playoff games, 19 different Panthers scored at least once – a testament to their depth – and defensemen combined for 15 goals, matching the single-postseason record for defensemen goals in NHL history. Sam Bennett’s 10 playoff goals led the team, and Marchand proved a late-season addition worth his weight in gold. But the real story was Bobrovsky. After sitting on the bench early in the Leafs series, he went 12–5 with a 2.11 GAA, .912 save percentage and three shutouts in the playoffs, emerging as the clear Conn Smythe Trophy favourite.

Players of Note

• Aleksander Barkov (C, #16): The unassuming captain set the tone all season. He finished with 20 goals and 51 assists, and in the playoffs he made highlight-reel plays (notably the game-winning pass in ECF Game 5). Barkov’s peers recognized his two-way excellence: in early June he was awarded the Selke Trophy and King Clancy Trophy (best defensive forward, most leadership) for 2025. Teammates rave about him. Carter Verhaeghe said of Barkov’s Game 5 play, “It was such a great play by him. It was all him”, and Sam Reinhart added, “He’s one of the best in the world at that… he’s certainly the leader of this team”.

• Sam Reinhart (C, #13): Florida’s offensive engine. Reinhart piled up an NHL-high 39 goals (81 points) in 2024–25. He had four points in the clinching Game 5 against Carolina and multiple key goals (including the empty-netter that ended Game 5 vs Tampa). His production and two-way play have grown every season.

• Matthew Tkachuk (LW, #19): The fiery winger battled back from injury (he missed March–April) to lead Florida with 22 goals and a team-best +33 rating. In Game 1 vs. Tampa he returned with a three-point night. He also scored the crucial second-period goal that ignited Game 5 (Carolina) and was a constant source of energy. Fans love Tkachuk, and his #19 breakaway jersey is consistently among the Panthers’ top sellers (see table).

• Sam Bennett (C, #20): Breakout playoff star. Bennett scored 10 goals in the playoffs – the team high – including the Game 7 winner against Toronto and multiple big markers in the Conference Final clincher. He capped off the Carolina series with the empty-net goal that all but sealed the Final berth.

• Carter Verhaeghe (LW, #23): Re-signed in the off-season to an 8-year deal after averaging 33 goals the previous three seasons, Verhaeghe delivered 20 goals (53 points) in 2024–25. He scored clutch goals in Games 4 and 5 vs Carolina, including the go-ahead goal in Game 5 on Barkov’s pass. His #23 jersey, celebrating deep-sky blue sunsets, flies off shelves.

• Aaron Ekblad (D, #5): Steady on the back end, Ekblad continued to produce offense (10 goals in 2024–25) and even scored a pivotal goal in Game 4 vs Tampa in the first round. His #5 jersey – representing the fan-favorite captain – remains one of the top-selling jerseys.

• Sergei Bobrovsky (G, #72): Arguably the MVP of the run. After shaky early-playoff games, Bobrovsky rebounded in a huge way. Over the last 10 games of the season and playoffs he went 8–2 with a sterling 1.57 GAA and .935 SV%. In the postseason he posted a 12–5 record, 2.11 GAA and .912 SV% with three shutouts, standing tall in net when it mattered most. Without his goaltending, Florida’s journey could have ended in Toronto or Carolina. Opponent Stuart Skinner even complimented him after Game 1 of the Final: “He made some fantastic saves, especially in overtime.”

Stanley Cup Final vs. Edmonton Oilers (Series tied 0–1)

For the second straight year Florida’s opponent in the Final is the Edmonton Oilers – a rematch of the thrilling 2024 championship series. Game 1 in Edmonton (June 4) was an instant classic: Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored just 66 seconds in, Sam Bennett tied it for Florida, and Brad Marchand gave the Panthers a 2–1 lead with a power-play goal. But the Oilers rallied in the third, and Draisaitl’s 19-minute overtime tally gave Edmonton a 4–3 win. The defense was locked in (“tight-checking,” as Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm noted), and as coach Maurice said, “It was honest, it was hard, it was fast, and it was tight. It was an overtime game”. In goal Bobrovsky and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner both made big stops on high-danger chances.

The Final is shaping up as the “spectacular seven-gamer” Maurice predicted. A year after Florida’s 3–0 series lead famously evaporated before winning in Game 7, both teams know the stakes. Ekholm noted, “We know exactly how they play, they know exactly how we play… those little details are going to matter so much”. The Panthers, riding a wave of defense, goaltending, and star power, are ready to match the Oilers blow for blow at Rogers Place.

Fan Support and Merchandise

All year long, Florida’s home crowd provided a thunderous advantage. Amerant Bank Arena – affectionately called “Fort Sunrise” – has been packed, and the bandwagon only grew as the wins piled up. The club announced a sellout of its season-ticket waitlist for 2024–25. Maurice reflected on the banner-raising opener: “it was actually the fans. There was a great buzz in the building… we played off that and got lots of energy from it.”. From raising the Stanley Cup banner to playoff booms of “Let’s go Panthers!” after every big play, the city has embraced the team.

Off the ice, Panthers merchandise flew off the shelves. Jerseys of the team’s stars – particularly #19 Tkachuk, #16 Barkov, and new captain #63 Marchand – have been best-sellers all season. (Fanatics lists Florida’s Stanley Cup Final jerseys among the most popular in the league.) Other core players like Reinhart (#13) and Ekblad (#5) round out the top sellers. Special playoff gear and championship swag also proved hugely popular. With the Cup Final underway, Panther fans remain feverishly engaged, hosting watch parties and flooding social media with fervent support.

Summary Table

Panthers Playoff Series Results: Florida won three straight rounds to reach the Final (bold = clinching game).

Top 5 Jersey Numbers by Sales (2025):