REINHART SHINES, PANTHERS REPEAT AS STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, DEFEAT OILERS IN 6 GAMES
In a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers have defeated the Edmonton Oilers to repeat as Champions of the National Hockey League. Just like 2024, the Panthers lifted the proclaimed ‘greatest trophy in sports’ on home ice, last night, winning game six, 5-1.
Former Sabre Samson Reinhart stole the show, scoring four goals, including the game’s opener, 4:36 into the first period. Reinhart is just the fourth player in NHL history to score four times in a Stanley Cup clinching game. Reinhart ended the series with a historic seven goals, joining an elite group of three players to have done the same in the Stanley Cup Final since 1956: Jean Beliveau, Mike Bossy, and Wayne Gretzky.
Sam Bennett was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, as the Most Valuable Player throughout the playoffs. Bennett scored an NHL-most fifteen goals in the postseason, including five in the Stanley Cup Final. Bennett is set to hit the Free Agency market on July 1st.
The Panthers are the eighth team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions in the Expansion Era (since 1967), joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, who most recently went back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. The Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings each won two consecutive Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers accomplished the feat twice in that span. The Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders each won the Cup in four consecutive years within the last half century.
Samson Reinhart, along with fellow-former Sabres Evan Rodrigues, and Dmitry Kulikov will each have their names etched on the Stanley Cup for a second time, all as back-to-back Champs.
DAHLIN AND FORMER SABRES SELECTED TO PLAY IN 2026 OLYMPIC GAMES
Earlier this week, the twelve men’s ice hockey teams that have qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games each announced the first six players on their respective rosters. One current Buffalo Sabre and three former Sabre players have been selected as initial members to represent their countries.
Current Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin has been named an initial member of Team Sweden. Dahlin has represented his country four times already in his career. The now-25-year-old most recently suited up for Sweden in the NHL-sponsored ‘Four Nations Face Off’ earlier this year. Before he was drafted by the Sabres in June of 2018, Dahlin participated in two World Junior Championships, along with the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, making Dahlin one of the more experienced players when it comes to Olympic hockey.
Announced in February, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be the first that National Hockey League players are allowed to participate since 2014 in Sochi. While NHL players have still represented their countries at the World Championships over the last eleven years, the NHL Players Association made it clear that participating in the Olympics was a top priority. The NHL, NHLPA, and International Ice Hockey Association came to an agreement to allow players from the world’s top hockey league to play in both the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.
This will be the first chance for former Sabres stars Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart to participate in the Olympics, each named to their respective USA and Canada’s initial roster of six players. Zemgus Girgensons, the third former Sabre to be announced as a team member, will play for Latvia in his Olympic debut.
As far as snubs go, Sabres forward JJ Peterka was not selected as an initial member of Team Germany. In the midst of rumors surrounding the pending restricted free agent, Peterka’s name has been swirling about as a potential trade target, or even as an offer sheet target, for other teams across the league. Despite a concussion that kept him out for five games at the start of this past season, the 23-year-old winger posted a career-best 68 points, with his second straight season with at least 27 goals. Peterka has the highest likelihood to get the nod to the Olympics out of the rest of the Sabres current roster, with Tage Thompson on the bubble for Team USA.
The full, 25-man rosters for all twelve participating countries will be announced closer to the start of the 2026 Olympics, which open on February 6 in Italy.
11 DAY POWER PLAY BEGINS TODAY
Since 2017, the 11 Day Power Play, a major fundraiser at LECOM HarborCenter, has taken place each summer, raising more than $11 million over the last eight years.
The event, which features community members taking individual three-hour long shifts over 11 straight days, keeps a hockey game running around the clock, in an effort to raise funds for Roswell Park, Wake-A-Wish, Camp Good Days, and Oishei Children’s Hospital.
The opening ceremonies for this year’s event are today, at LECOM HarborCenter, at 9:00 a.m. The event, which is currently taking donations here, will end with closing ceremonies on Sunday June 29, at 6:00 p.m.
The Scoreboard is presented by Zenner and Ritter Heating and Cooling.
