Rodrigues one of several Penguins connections to win Stanley Cup with Panthers

The Panthers avoided an epic collapse in the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 in Sunrise, Fla. on Monday.

After the Panthers took a 3-0 series lead, the Oilers won three straight, becoming the first team since the 1945 Red Wings to force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first three games of the series. But the comeback fell short.

Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP in the losing effort after leading the postseason in scoring with eight goals and 34 assists in 24 games. McDavid broke Wayne Gretzky's record for the the most assists in a single playoffs and was five points shy of Gretzky's all-time points record. McDavid was held scoreless in Games 6 and 7 of the Final, but the award spans the entire playoffs, not just the Final. 

Carter Verhaeghe opened Game 7's scoring in the first period, with former Penguin Evan Rodrigues earning the primary assist. The Oilers tied the game in the second period courtesy of a goal from Mattias Janmark, assisted by former Penguins defenseman Cody Ceci. Sam Reinhart's second-period goal stood as the game-winner, with former Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov picking up a secondary assist.

Rodrigues and Kulikov are the only Penguins players to win as players this year. Rodrigues finished the postseason with seven goals and seven assists in 23 games, and Kulikov had an assist in 23 games.

"They say it's the hardest trophy in sports to win, and it was even harder than I imagined," Rodrigues said in an on-ice interview with NHL Network afterward. "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Rodrigues spoke with South Florida news station along with his sons Grayson and Noah, with Grayson saying, "my dreams came true."

The Penguins' third goaltender for much of this season, Magnus Hellberg, was traded to Florida at the trade deadline and was a black ace for the playoffs, not dressing in any games.

There are a lot of Penguins connections on the Panthers' staff:

• Panthers include goaltending coach Robbie Tallas played two seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2001-03

• Skills coach Maxim Ivanov served as the Penguins' power skating instructor from 2013-17

• Head strength and conditioning coach Mike Joyce served as Wilkes-Barre's conditioning coach from 2017-22

• Assistant strength and conditioning coach Anthony Moore, who succeeded Joyce as Wilkes-Barre's conditioning coach for the 2022-23 season, was in his first season with the Panthers.

• Head equipment manager Teddy Richards was an equipment manager with Wilkes-Barre from 2002-13 and then an assistant manager with the NHL club from 2013-16

• Patric Hornqvist is a scouting and development consultant

With the Stanley Cup awarded, the NHL's first buyout window opens in 48 hours. The draft is in Las Vegas June 28-29, and free agency opens July 1.