The Florida Panthers were on their way to becoming the NHL's standard, headed to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago before returning to win the Cup last year. In many ways, the breakthrough moment came in the exact spot they find themselves now: in the Eastern final,

Niko Mikkola and Aleksander Barkov each scored twice, and the Florida Panthers scored five goals in a nine-minute span of the third period to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Saturday night and move one win from a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers will face Sebastian Aho and the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs East Final on Thursday.

He certainly is enjoying life, both on and off the ice. The hope is that another Stanley Cup is on the horizon. Lion and Adalee already got to experience it once, with Gadjovich and wife Allison putting both of them inside the Cup as the Panthers celebrated the victory last June.