The novelty of winning at this time of year hasn’t worn off. The defending champions simply have become used to it by now.

Bill Zito didn’t do any significant celebrating after the Florida Panthers clinched their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Florida had just punched its ticket once again to the Stanley Cup Final — its third consecutive season making it to the final series, its third consecutive opportunity to win it all — with a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. And yet, everything appeared to be business as usual.

Brad Marchand is back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2019. But this time, it’s as a member of the Florida Panthers. “I definitely didn’t expect to be here in this jersey,” Marchand, who had an assist in the win, told TNT’s Jackie Redmond after Florida’s Game 5 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. “But I’m very happy I am.”

Florida captain Aleksander Barkov is an unassuming star. He dislikes praise. He avoids attention. But it's unavoidable now after leading the Panthers back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season.

Just two years after hanging up his skates indefinitely, three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews is not ready to call it quits just yet. Toews, 37, is eyeing an NHL comeback, and he and his agent are taking steps towards making that dream a reality.

The Florida Panthers are the first team to advance to the fourth round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, doing so by way of a 5-3, come-from-behind victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the third round on Wednesday evening.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AND THE FLORIDA PANTHERS The Thunder are rolling into the NBA Finals in historically dominant fashion. Oklahoma City destroyed Minnesota 124-94 to finish off the Western Conference Finals in five games.