Since 2000, the Panthers joined only a handful of No. 8 playoff seeds who have advanced past the second round of the NHL playoffs – and only one of them won it all.

Not many teams have done what the Florida Panthers accomplished in the Stanley Cup playoffs, even though they lost 4-1 in the final to the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Though it wasn’t the Panthers kissing the Cup, their run was nothing short of spectacular, as they were a rare No. 8 seed to make a deep playoff run. They pulled off a historic upset in Round 1 over the Boston Bruins, who set NHL records for most wins and most points during the regular season. The next two rounds saw the Panthers dominate the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes courtesy of spectacular play from netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, but Florida’s magic would end there.

Other than the Panthers, there have been five other No. 8 seeds that have made it to at least the conference final since 2000. Let’s take a look:

2005-06 Edmonton Oilers

After the 2004-05 lockout, the NHL returned to the ice for the 2005-06 season, and the Oilers finished the regular season as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. 

Led by captain Jason Smith, the Oilers beat the top team in the league, the Detroit Red Wings, in six games. They took care of business against the California-based teams, the San Jose Sharks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, in six and five games, respectively. 

In the Stanley Cup final, they faced the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers were poised to win their first Cup since 1990, with legendary defenseman Chris Pronger looking to hoist the silver chalice for the first time. 

The Hurricanes took control, going up 3-1 in the series, but the Oilers came back to force a Game 7. Edmonton’s magical run would end there, however, as the Canes took the final game and won their first-ever Stanley Cup.

2009-10 Montreal Canadiens

If underdog needed a definition, look no further than the 2009-10 Canadiens. 

Despite being the non-favorite in each round, the Canadiens were able to reach the Eastern Conference final by beating some generational players along the way. 

The first round saw them go up against Alexander Ovechkin and the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals. It took a gruelling seven-game series, but they got the job done and advanced to take on the defending Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. 

Just like in the first round, Montreal won in seven games on the back of goalie Jaroslav Halak then went on to face the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference final. A true battle of the underdogs, the Canadiens lost to the seventh-seeded Flyers, who went on to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final.

2011-12 Los Angeles Kings

The Kings had an up-and-down season as they clinched a playoff berth in their 81st game, making them the No. 8 seed in the West. But unlike their mediocre regular season, their post-season was a run like no other. 

They took down the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games, followed by a sweep of the St. Louis Blues and then eliminating the Phoenix Coyotes in five games. 

With a 12-2 record up to that point, the Kings were red-hot, and they kept rolling in the Cup final. 

They took on the New Jersey Devils, and despite going up 3-0, the Devils managed to win the next two games to force a Game 6. But the Kings dominated in that contest, winning 6-1 and capturing their first-ever Stanley Cup, becoming the first No. 8 seed to win the Cup in NHL history. Jonathan Quick took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

2016-17 Nashville Predators

The Predators made a huge trade during the off-season, shipping off longtime captain Shea Weber for another defenseman in P.K. Subban. With many believing it was a trade to help in the future, the Preds shocked the hockey world and made a run at the Cup. 

Led by netminder Pekka Rinne, the Predators dismantled the heavy favorite Chicago Blackhawks by winning in four games and only allowing three goals in the series. They then eliminated the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks in six games each. 

Rinne and the Preds put up a great fight against Pittsburgh in the Cup final, but the eighth-seeded Preds lost to the Penguins in six games. It was the second of back-to-back Cups for the Penguins.

2020-21 Montreal Canadiens

Due to the pandemic restrictions, the NHL didn’t have conferences for the 2020-21 season, but rather four divisions. Even though the Canadiens weren’t technically the No. 8 seed, they ranked last out of the 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs. 

During their first-round matchup against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs were down 3-1 in the series. But they did the impossible and won two hard-fought overtime games. They beat the Leafs in Game 7 and followed that up by sweeping the Winnipeg Jets and then the heavy favorite Vegas Golden Knights in six games, giving them a berth in the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1993. 

The 24-time Cup champs would see their season end as they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Like the Penguins, it was the second of a back-to-back run for the Lightning.