Florida was 16-7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 47-31-4 to finish third in the Atlantic Division. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round, the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round and the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Stanley Cup is staying in South Florida. Sam Reinhart produced the first four-goal performance in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1957, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal of his own and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 to end the series in six games.