Ice Tease: Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Playoff History

The Panthers have reached the NHL Finals twice before 2024: against the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

By Julia Postell

June 12, 2024

Image: hockey goalie in home whites guards the net

Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck fends off a shot during Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals at Miami Arena. Will 2024 be the year Florida finally hoists the trophy? Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images

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As the Florida Panthers head into Thursday's Game 3 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers holding a 2-0 lead in the series, anticipation climbs: Could this finally be the year the Panthers raise the Stanley Cup?

The Panthers have yet to win a Stanley Cup title in the franchise's 30-season history, but they've reached the Finals three times since they first took the ice in 1993 — the first time against the Colorado Avalanche, the second against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The last time a hockey team appeared in consecutive NHL Finals came in 2022, when the Panthers' in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning reached the finals for a third straight year.

If Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is destined to hoist the Stanley Cup in triumph in 2014, the team will have to maintain its momentum on enemy ice in Edmonton, where they'll face off against the Oilers on Thursday and again on Saturday.

As we await Thursday night's puck drop, here's a look at the hometown franchise's NHL playoffs record and past performances in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Florida Panthers NHL Finals Record

Though the Panthers have yet to claim the Cup, they have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in NHL history.

The first time, back in 1996, they fell in four straight games to the Colorado Avalanche.

They would not return to the Finals until the 2022-23 season, when they were frustrated again, this time by the Vegas Golden Knights, who dispatched them in five games.

Florida Panthers NHL Playoffs Record

The Panthers have made it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs a total of nine times in franchise history:

1996: Lost in Stanley Cup Final (0-4) v. Colorado Avalanche
1997: Lost in Conference Quarterfinals (1-4) vs. New York Rangers
2000: Lost in Conference Quarterfinals (0-4) vs. New Jersey Devils
2012: Lost in Conference Quarterfinals (3-4) vs. New Jersey Devils
2016: Lost in First Round (2-4) vs. New York Islanders
2020: Lost in Eastern Conference Qualifying Round (1-3) v. New York Islanders
2023: Lost in Stanley Cup Final (1-4) vs. Vegas Golden Knights
2021: Lost in First Round (2-4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
2022: Lost in Second Round (0-4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

For more on the Panthers' journey to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, see:

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