Panthers’ Cup Final run shocking? These factors predicted it
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Like 1990s moviegoers finding out Bruce Willis’ character really was dead all along, the Florida Panthers’ dominant run to the Stanley Cup Final has taken us all by surprise.
But what else do both of those plot twists have in common? We should have seen them coming.
Florida surely left its own trail of breadcrumbs in the regular season, right? Some hidden Easter eggs that indicate just what could be possible for the Panthers if they made it into the postseason?
The potential had to be there. Florida bullying its way through the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes could hardly be accidental.
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Sergei Bobrovsky standing on his head?
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Matthew Tkachuk wielding a (game-winning) hero’s cape?
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Unparalleled scoring depth?
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A breakout star on the blue line?
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Paul Maurice pushing the right buttons?
These have been some of Florida’s greatest strengths over the last 16 games. Those seeds simply needed time to grow, so the Panthers could be at their best when this all-important time of year rolled around.
Florida was, after all, only in a playoff spot for less than 30% of the season, and didn’t have a great shot at making the field until the final weeks. Plus, the Panthers required a little help from the Pittsburgh Penguins losing their final two games against the lottery-bound Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets to squeeze into the Eastern Conference’s final postseason slot.
The Panthers grabbed a tight grip on the opportunity and haven’t let go. Florida’s will and determination alone should have put the hockey world on notice that once the Panthers arrived, they’d make landfall like a late-summer hurricane — unpredictable, powerful and impossible to ignore.
Which brings us back to the original question: Should we have expected this from the Panthers?
Let’s rewind the tape and find out.
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