Paul Maurice's Florida Panthers are off to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Florida Panthers will be playing for the Stanley Cup.
On Saturday evening, Paul Maurice's team found its way to on-ice celebrations following the final whistle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers defeated the league's No. 1 squad, the New York Rangers 2-1.
The win gave Florida the series victory, sending the Panthers to the Stanley Cup for second time in two-straight seasons.
The game was at home in the Sunshine State, as Sam Bennett scored the lone goal for the majority of the game, before Vladimir Tarasenko added another for the hosts midway through the third.
Fellow countryman Artemi Panarin got one back for the Rangers with 1:40 to go, but it was all for naught. Sergei Bobrovsky shut down the Rangers' final push, putting the Cats back in the final again.
After having to wait for their opponent nearly 11 days after making the Final early last season, the Panthers will only have to wait seven days before they open the Cup Final against either the Edmonton Oilers or Dallas Stars. The Western Conference Final currently sees the Oilers up 3-2 through five games.
For Maurice - who spent nine years in Winnipeg - will be back in his third Stanley Cup Final, and second in back-to-back seasons since coming to Florida.
Maurice gave strict instructions to his captain Aleksander Barkov not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, in hopes of busting the superstitious trend.