Can the Florida Panthers really win the Stanley Cup? 4 Keys to their success

The Florida Panthers have already shocked the hockey world. After scratching and limping their way into the postseason as the Eastern Conference's second and final wild-card team, the Panthers did what many believed was impossible: knocked off the record-setting Boston Bruins in the very first round.

But even after overcoming the President's Trophy winners, the Panthers were not done. Currently, they hold a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs and are just one victory shy of an Eastern Conference Final meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes.

So is this just a Cinderella story that will die out eventually? Or can the Florida Panthers actually win the Stanley Cup? First, let's look at their history.

The Panthers have been to the Stanley Cup Final just once in their 20-year history.

In their third season and first berth in the playoffs, Florida was swept by the Colorado Avalanche after knocking off the Bruins, Flyers, and Penguins on their way to the Final. That was also the last time the Panthers won more than one round in the postseason.

Of course, the Florida Panthers were recently the victim of a similar upset to the one they pulled off this season. In 2021-22, Florida took home the President's Trophy, only to be swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.

4 Keys to Florida Panthers Chances to Win the Stanley Cup

Belief

This year feels different. Not only has this team already overachieved, but their belief has been contagious.

It started with Matthew Tkachuk's words following a Game 5 win at home:

"Boys, remember this room. We will be back here for seven."

And it continued with the confidence of Tkachuk and his team after the Panthers completed the upset:

"It really is the biggest upset in NHL history to every single other person, except the guys in that room," Tkachuk said. "We just did what nobody in the world thought we could do."

Getting under their opponent's skin

No matter their opponent, the score in the game, or the score in the series, the Panthers know how to make other teams mad.

In the first four games of their series against Toronto, this was evident.

Leafs players were taking swipes at Tkachuk and getting in penalty trouble. It paid off with Florida goals and huge momentum swings, all while distracting some of the best hockey players in the world.

Goaltending

The Florida Panthers goaltending situation was one of the main reasons many did not believe they could pull off the upset in the first round. But after some bumps in the road, the Cats turned to veteran Sergei Bobrovsky.

In eight starts, Bobrovsky has gone 6-2. Outside of a tough loss in his first start, the 34-year-old has recorded a .919 save percentage and has been even better in the second round against the Leafs.

If 'Bob' continues on this path that we have seen from him before, it is bad news for Toronto and the rest of the NHL.

Matthew Tkachuk

You may have noticed that one name has been mentioned a bunch in this article.

Matthew Tkachuk is the heart and soul of this Florida Panthers team. Not only is he a leading scorer, but he also plays a style that is perfectly built for playoff hockey.

His grit, hard work, and ability to rise up to the biggest moments like a "gamer", as his coach describes him, gives me and many in the hockey world belief...

The Florida Panthers are more than capable of winning the Stanley Cup.