Editorial

Florida Panthers Punch Tickets To Stanley Cup Final For First Time In 27 Years After Sweeping Carolina Hurricanes

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Andrew Powell Sports and Entertainment Blogger
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MY FLORIDA PANTHERS ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINAL!

The Florida Panthers took out the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final to complete the four-game sweep, punching their tickets to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s the first time (and only other time) since 1996 that the Cats have advanced to the final round of the NHL Playoffs.

The Panthers will now play the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars, with Vegas leading that series, 3-0. Game 4 is Thursday in Dallas.

Holy cow, I’m ecstatic! Here’s the highlights of Game 4 if you missed the action:

And here we are getting our trophy:

Man … I’m floating on Cloud 9 as I write this.

Yeah, I was a bit bummed out Tuesday night when my Miami Heat couldn’t close out the Eastern Conference Finals over the Boston Celtics, but 24 hours later, the Panthers have me in dreamland — except this isn’t a dream … WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINAL!

But you better believe I want the Miami Heat to take care of business now to get into the NBA Finals, completing my dream of both South Florida teams being in the last round of both the NBA and NHL Playoffs, and they will.

It’s like Jimmy said:

Hang on, Miami. Hang on, South Florida. (RELATED: Stars Captain Jamie Benn Ejected Against Golden Knights After Violently Hammering Mark Stone In Neck With Hockey Stick)

We’re almost there.