Before the Panthers, Hurricanes, Stars and Golden Knights made it to the NHL conference finals, their years were filled with moments to remember.
The NHL's Eastern and Western Conference finals are underway with the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars looking to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup final.
All four have been some of the best stories in the league this spring as southern markets take center stage. Before reaching the conference finals, they each had moments and events this season worth looking back on:
The Panthers Pull Off the Ultimate Upset
There's nowhere else we could have started this article.
The Florida Panthers came into their first-round matchup taking on a Boston Bruins team with the most single-season points and wins in NHL history. It would be an understatement to say that the odds were not in their favor.
The start of this series looked like it would go according to plan for what many had predicted with Florida being down 3-1 in the series. But the Panthers showed they had other plans.
Florida stormed back with three straight wins, first with an overtime win in Game 5. The Panthers and Bruins then produced one of the more exciting games of the playoffs, a 7-5 Florida win in Game 6 that saw seven combined goals in the third period – the Panthers trailed the Bruins twice in the frame but came back each time.
Game 7 once again showed Florida's resiliency. The Bruins held on to a one-goal lead until Brandon Montour's goal at the 19:00 mark of the third period forced overtime. Just over 8:30 into the extra frame, Carter Verhaeghe's OT-winner capped off an upset that people will not soon forget.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD3HvdKvwmM[/embed]
Jason Robertson Sets a New Dallas Stars Record
Jason Robertson's ascent to becoming one of the faces of the Dallas Stars has been amazing to watch. This year marked back-to-back seasons of Robertson hitting the 40-goal mark. Not only did he set a career high in points (109) and goals (46), but he also surpassed a mark set by one of the most iconic players to ever put on a Stars uniform.
In the Stars' 5-2 victory over Arizona on March 31, Robertson recorded a four-point night and surpassed Mike Modano's franchise record of 93 points in a season (set in 1993-94) while also recording his 100th career goal on the night.
It's only his fourth season in Dallas, but with the success he's having this early in his career, it shouldn't shock anyone if he's eventually holding a few more Stars records. The franchise record goes back to the Minnesota North Stars when forward Bobby Smith recorded 114 points in 1981-82.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RmZsAzrr34[/embed]
Vegas Hits 50 Wins Twice in Just Six Seasons
The Vegas Golden Knights have had five trips to the playoffs in six seasons, and two of them have been 50-win campaigns. They completely changed the idea of how an expansion team is expected to perform in its first few seasons.
On April 11, their 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken marked the second time Vegas hit 50 wins in a year. This season also marked the third time they won the Pacific Division title and the fourth time when including the 2020-21 West Division.
The Golden Knights bounced back from missing the post-season in 2021-22 to once again becoming one of the top dogs in the Western Conference. The balance and depth for Vegas have been big keys for success – seven players hit at least 40 points, and the team battled through multiple goaltender injuries during the season.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJHFp8bF5OU[/embed]
After a Long Wait, Carolina Finally Gets Its Outdoor Game
It may have taken three years, but Carolina Hurricanes fans finally saw their team take part in their first outdoor game in 2022-23. A Stadium Series game hosted by the Hurricanes was originally announced to take place in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans for longer than expected.
This year finally saw the Hurricanes take part in the spectacle, where they took on the Washington Capitals in front of 56,961 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium, the home of North Carolina State Wolfpack Football.
Carolina won 4-1 on the strength of goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Paul Stastny, Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen. When it was all said and done, fans were treated to the largest Storm Surge yet.
More than 50,000 fans staying in their seats to partake in the tradition is an amazing sight to see.