The Florida Panthers are on the doorstep of back-to-back NHL titles at the expense of both the Edmonton Oilers and a decades-long streak of Stanley Cup futility for Canada-based franchises. The teams meet Tuesday in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final (8 p.m. ET), with the homestanding Panthers around a -150 betting favorite and the over/under for total goals scored set at 6.5.
The Panthers are on the cusp of becoming the first back-to-back NHL champions since the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2021. They would become the 19th NHL club to win at least two consecutive championships in a sport that has seen a high number of short-term runs of dominance by comparison to other major professional sports leagues.
For example, the NFL has seen only nine back-to-back Super Bowl champions and only one franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has accomplished this milestone twice. The NFL notably has never had a three-peat champion, with the Kansas City Chiefs memorably falling short of that elusive landmark with their 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in February.
The Panthers, who lead the series 3-2, have outscored the Oilers 16-7 in their three victories and are coming off a 5-2 win in Game…
