The Florida Panthers are once again champions of the National Hockey League, due in no small part to the stellar performance of winger Sam Reinhart in the series finale.
Reinhart tallied four goals as the Panthers eliminated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. In the process, he became only the second player in history to light the lamp four times in a Cup-clinching game.
“It’s pretty special,’ Reinhart said, according to NHL.com. ‘I mean, we’ve had guys step up all postseason long. It almost takes the pressure off us knowing that someone’s going to do it.’
Reinhart got his first goal off a turnover and his second after Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner misplayed the puck.
Reinhart added two empty-netters to become the first player to score seven goals in the final since the great Wayne Gretzky did it 40 years ago. He also scored the winning goal in Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final.
“I can’t really put into words what it means,” said Reinhart, who played despite suffering a Grade 2 MCL tear in the Eastern Conference Final series. “It’s something you never really think about. You know, in a lot of instances, this one was even harder to overcome and be here at the end.’
Reinhart, 29, said he’ll be looking forward to the Panthers’ championship parade — one he missed last year because of a friend’s wedding.
“And I’m not going to miss this one,” he vowed. “I’ll guarantee you that.”