How does the St. Louis Blues team from 2019 compare to the Current Florida Panthers squad?
By David Crum
On Friday night, the Florida Panthers secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year with a victory in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Like the St. Louis Blues before their 2019 Cup win, the Panthers have been to the finals but have yet to win a Cup.
How does the 2019 Stanley Cup champion team, the St. Louis Blues, compare to the current Florida Panthers lineup?
St. Louis Blues 2018-19 Run
In 2018-19, the St. Louis Blues had an interesting season, firing their head coach and making a playoff run under interim coach Craig Berube.
They entered postseason play with a 45-28-9 record.
The St. Louis Blues were led by the brilliant goaltending play of Jordan Binnington, who registered a .927 save percentage in 32 games. Binnington, who snatched the top spot from Jake Allen, became an instant star in the 2019 playoffs, continuing his strong play in 26 games and concluding with a .914 save percentage.
Ryan O’Reilly (77 points), Vladimir Tarasenko (68 points), and Brayden Schenn (54 points) were the leading scorers for the Blues during regular season play.
Outside of O’Reilly and Tarasenko, no major point leaders stood out. However, in postseason play, the stars came out.
O’Reilly and Tarasenko weren’t the only ones who shined in the 2019 Cup run; Jaden Schwartz (12 goals, 20 points), Alex Pietrangelo (16 assists, 19 points), and David Perron (16 points) also stood out.
The veterans fought hard in every series battle, propelling the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. Led by Binnington’s unstoppable performance, the Blues decisively won a game seven match in Boston.
Florida Panthers 2023-24 Run
The Florida Panthers regular season highlights showed top performances from goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz. Bobrovsky finished the season with a .915 save percentage, to Stolarz’s .925 save percentage.
For the majority of the regular season, the Panthers stars were the ones stealing the spotlight:
Sam Reinhart: 57 goals, 37 assists, 94 points.
Matthew Tkachuk: 26 goals, 62 assists, 88 points.
Aleksander Barkov: 23 goals, 57 assists, 80 points.
Carter Verhaeghe: 34 goals, 38 assists, 72 points.
While the playoffs aren’t over yet, all four regular-season leaders have continued their success in postseason play.
Currently, Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 19 points, while Verhaeghe and Barkov are tied for second with 17 points each.
Panthers star and leader Sam Reinhart heads into the finals with 12 points.
The Florida Panthers can learn from the 2019 Stanley Cup St. Louis Blues team
Three super-stars propelled the Panthers roster to a better regular season performance than the 2019 Blues squad.
Yet, the presence of seasoned veterans led the St. Louis Blues to triumph in the 2019 playoffs and finals. Players like Tarasenko, O'Reilly, Perron, and Steen all showed up.
If the Panthers seek to break their losing streak in the finals, they must get production from veteran players such as Sam Bennett, Vladimir Tarasenko, and company to assist their stars.
The Cup win is within reach for the Panthers, as they have all the necessary pieces.
The 2019 St. Louis Blues exemplify what it means to play like champions.
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