“We Know What We’re Capable of,” Matthew Tkachuk LAUDS His Team as Panthers Reach 3rd Straight Stanley Cup Finals

Matthew Tkachuk will take part in a 3rd successive Stanley Cup Final as the Florida Panthers knocked out the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5.

“We Know What We’re Capable of,” Matthew Tkachuk LAUDS His Team as Panthers Reach 3rd Straight Stanley Cup Finals

Matthew Tkachuk (Image via Gino Hard)

The Florida Panthers are heading towards another Stanley Cup Finals. On Wednesday, the reigning champions defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5 to reach their 3rd straight Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk would later laud his team as they made history.

The Panthers have once again been the team to beat this year. After overcoming the rivals, Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, they eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 to reach another Eastern Conference Final.

In this series, the Florida-based outfit was once again the dominating team. While they failed to get the sweep, the team took down the Hurricanes in Game 5 and booked their place in the finals again.

Following the game, Matthew Tkachuk would join the NHL on TNT crew for a chat. During this, the American international lauded his team and expressed that they knew what they were capable of.

We’re very happy with being able to win it and being able to win tonight and this game and the series, especially the way it started tonight, but all business right now for us. We know what we’re capable of and we’re not going to celebrate until we get that.

Tkachuk has been one of the standout performers for his team in the playoffs this year. He currently sits tied for 2nd place with Sam Bennett with 16 points (5 goals and 11 assists). Only captain Aleksander Barkov has more points than them (17 points).

Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers create history following victory in Game 5

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers mounted another comeback. The Cats came back from 2-0 down to win the game 5-3. The win saw them become part of NHL history.

Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk (Image via ESPN)

Over the years gone by, several teams in the NHL have reached back-to-back finals. However, only a selected few reached the finals on 3 or more occasions.

With the win on Wednesday, the Panthers booked their berth for another Stanley Cup finals. They are now the 5th team in the last 50 years to reach the finals in 3 or more consecutive seasons. The other teams to have done this are the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-22), Edmonton Oilers (1983-85), New York Islanders (1980-84) and Montreal Canadiens (1976-79).

Another interesting stat is that for the 6th year running, the Stanley Cup Final will run through Florida. After 3 successive final appearances for the Lightning, the Panthers are now in their 3rd straight final.

The Lightning managed to go back-to-back in 2020 and 2021 and then lost in the 2022 finals. The Panthers lost in 2023 but emerged victorious in 2024.

Panthers avoid touching Prince of Wales trophy following win in Game 5

With the win in Game 5, the Florida Panthers became the Eastern Conference champions for a 3rd year running. The win meant that they were once again the rightful owners of the Prince of Wales trophy. Surprisingly though, the team did not touch the trophy after their triumph in Game 5.

Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers posing with the Prince of Wales trophy (Image via X/@GinoHard_)

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly awarded the trophy to captain Aleksander Barkov. The Finnish international did not touch the trophy. His teammates would do the same. They did pose with the trophy and took pictures with it, but did not touch it.

The reason for this? The Panthers have lost out on the previous two occasions when they touched the trophy.

In 2023, they touched the silverware and lifted it high and suffered a 4-1 loss in the Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Last year, they avoided touching it and beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to become the champions.

Apart from this, in 1996, the Panthers got swept by the Colorado Avalanche. So the team are being a bit careful around the Prince of Wales trophy.

The reigning champions will now wait and see who they face. With the Oilers leading the Western Conference Final 3-1 against the Dallas Stars, a repeat final could be on the cards.

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