Freedom was the word that Florida coach Paul Maurice kept saying to his team over the final days of the Stanley Cup Final. Play with freedom, he said. He wanted the team loose, to remember that the work had been done, to trust what had gotten the Panthers to the final and helped them take a 3-0 lead.

Sam Bennett scored two goals as the Florida Panthers opened the defense of their first Stanley Cup title with a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins.