Panthers officially eliminated from playoffs after back-to-back Stanley Cups

The Florida Panthers were on top of the NHL for the past two seasons, but like they say, all good things must come to an end at some point. That’s what happened to them before the season even ended, as the Panthers have been officially eliminated from the playoffs after losing 9-4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It will be the first time since 2022 that somebody else from the Eastern Conference will be represented in the Stanley Cup Final. For the first time since 2023, someone else will also be hosting the trophy.

There’s no doubt that they’re not feeling the best about being eliminated, but as long as they’re together as a group, nothing else matters.

“Obviously, no one’s happy about the situation. But it’s about really just sticking together as a team and going through this as a team. We’re all sticking together. It’s not fun sometimes. But we’re just trying to make the best of it,” forward Sam Bennett said.

The Panthers’ regression started before the season even started, when Aleksander Barkow tore his ACL and MCL to start training camp. Seth Jones broke his collarbone during the season and missed 26 games. Just last month, Brad Marchand was shut down for the season.

Not to mention, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, Dmitry Kulikov and Matthew Tkachuk have all missed extended time this season. In the end, they did not have the recipe for success, and staying healthy is at the top.

“I think we all know … how good this hockey team is. We know how good we’re going to be when we have everyone healthy and everyone back. So there’s obviously a ton of excitement, I think, in anticipation for next year,” Bennett said.

The team should have a good reason to believe they’ll be back at the top next season, and the hope is that they can be at full strength.

The post Panthers officially eliminated from playoffs after back-to-back Stanley Cups appeared first on ClutchPoints.