The clock has struck midnight. The Florida Panthers have been eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights after losing Game 5 in Vegas by a score of 9-3. This ends an incredible run for the Cats as they defeated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, beat the second-best team in the Atlantic Division in the Toronto Maple Leafs, and swept the top seed in the Metropolitan Division in the Carolina Hurricanes.
This is what ultimately put their season to an end last night and gave the Golden Knights their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Panthers’ Defense Was in Shambles
The Panthers’ defense could not step up in this elimination game after going undefeated in every elimination game they played back in the first round against the Bruins.
The team allowed 32 shots on goal and gave up a whopping nine goals. They did stay disciplined as they only had to go on the kill once due to an interference call against defenseman Aaron Ekblad. But their lack of defensive ability took them down in the end.
Related: Bruins Can Emulate Panthers After Winning Presidents’ Trophy
This is something that needs to be a major focus this offseason for the coaching staff and the front office. They have to give the defense all the help it can get.
Injuries Continued to Pile Up
The injury bug ran rampant throughout Florida’s lineup all season long. This includes Patric Hornqvist with a concussion he suffered early in the year and Eetu Luostarinen with a lower-body injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes. But last night, the bug was showing no mercy. Prior to the game, forward Matthew Tkachuk was ruled out of the game for what was later announced to be a broken sternum he suffered in Game 3. At the end of the game, it was announced that Ekblad played with multiple shoulder dislocations, a torn oblique, and a broken foot. Furthermore, defenseman Radko Gudas was playing with a high ankle sprain.
Related: Panthers Claw Back to Win Team’s First Cup Final Game
They decided to leave it all out on the ice, even if meant putting their bodies on the line.
“You grind all this way, there’s bound to be some injuries. Most of the guys are banged up. It’s over 100 games of hockey. It’s a grind. No matter the outcome, whether we had a couple guys hurt or they had a couple guys hurt, they obviously won.”
Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour on injuries throughout the season
This offseason should give them enough time to heal up. And they’re going to need it considering how bad some of these injuries were.
Panthers Have a Ton to be Proud About This Season
The Cats ended up having to deal with a gauntlet of a playoff run. But of course, they had to run into an extremely talented and strong Golden Knights squad in the Final. Either way, they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
“Remember the feeling. It’s not the moments or the goals, as a matter of fact, at all with these guys. They just care about each other. They love each other. They treat each other so well. They all had fun and worked their butts off every day. It was truly a special year.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice on the 2022-23 season
There will be a huge lesson in all of this for the team watching the Golden Knights lift Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Panthers will learn from their mistakes and come back with much more of a desire to win next season. In addition, general manager Bill Zito is going to have a little more than $10 million to work with in the offseason. For a team that was counted out all playoffs, they made a ton of heads turn toward them. Now, all eyes are on Sunrise, Florida for a chance to try and run it back. But, the team has definitely earned a rest this summer.
