It’s the kind of game every hockey fan dreams of having as a kid.
Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. One win away from lifting hockey’s most coveted trophy. And you carry your team to victory with a historic performance.
It’s a reality that Sam Reinhart lived on Tuesday night, scoring four goals in the Florida Panthers’ Cup-clinching win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Reinhart became the first player to score four goals in a Stanley Cup-clinching victory since Babe Dye of the Toronto St. Pats in 1922 against the Vancouver Millionaires with his performance, according to Sportsnet Stats.
He also joined an exclusive club of players to score a hat trick in the game that won their team the Stanley Cup, stepping into history alongside Dye, Mark Stone (2023) and Jack Darragh (1920).
“We’ve had guys stepping up all post-season long,” Reinhart told Sportsnet’s Gene Principe on the ice once the final horn had sounded. “That’s just the kind of group we had, and (I) was able to find the net a couple times.”
Reinhart got his team out to a fast start in Game 6 on a solo effort, forcing a turnover from Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard before dancing his way in for the game-opening score.
The 29-year-old North Vancouver native continued to lead the way for Florida with a second-period tally on a puck that bounced off his skate and past Stuart Skinner.
With the four-goal night, Reinhart finished the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 11 goals, tying Leon Draisaitl for the second-most among all skaters this post-season.
“When we won last year, we weren’t thinking about this one yet,” Reinhart continued with Principe. “We’re gonna be thinking about this one for the next little bit and see where we go from there.”
Reinhart capped his big night with a pair of empty-net goals, silencing any hopes of a potential Oilers comeback.
The Stanley Cup win continues what has been a remarkable year for Reinhart as an individual. The former Buffalo Sabres second-overall pick scored 39 goals and 81 points in 79 regular-season games for the Panthers, helped Canada win the 4 Nations Face Off, and, on Monday, was named one of the first six to Canada’s Olympic roster for 2026.
Despite all the accolades and international success, it will surely be tough to top Tuesday’s win on Reinhart’s list of accomplishments.
