Panthers magic ride to Stanley Cup Final: CBS News Miami's Steve Goldstein reports
FORT LAUDERDALE -- The run is historic: 11 wins in the last 12 games; eight straight road wins and 6-0 in overtime.
Say hello to the Florida Panthers, who are in the Cup Final for the first time since 1996.
The Cats capped it off with an unlikely (what else is new) series win in the conference final, sweeping Carolina in four straight games, all decided by one goal.
More than 20,000 fans were on hand as the Panthers played the most exciting game in the home arena's history and clinched a series in the arena for the first time ever.
Thachuk Magic
Matthew Tkachuk scored with less than five seconds left in Game 4 to send the packed arena into a frenzy and put the Panthers into the cup final. Tkachuk scored 3 game winning goals in the series, the most in a conference final since 2016 when Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby did it. The game-winning goal was also the latest in regulation in NHL history to win a conference final series.
Brick Wall Bob
Sergei Bobrovsky is clearly playing his best hockey as a Panther and considering the stakes, the best hockey of his career. "Bobby," as the fans now chant, is 10-2 in the playoffs and is clearly in the opponent's heads. They are getting frustrated because they simply can't score on him with any type of regularity. Now, after a grueling, pressure filled series, he gets at least a week off to mentally and physically recharge to try to win it all.
On to the Cup
The Panthers get at least a week off now before playing in the Stanley Cup Final War again they will be the likely underdogs and start on the road. Vegas likely awaits the Cats.