Local

Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues leads Florida Panthers to first Stanley Cup win

Evan Rodrigues Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins' Evan Rodrigues (9) celebrates his hat trick with Bryan Rust (17) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. Rust also had a hat trick in the game, and the Penguins won 8-5. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

FLORIDA — Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues led the Florida Panthers to their first Stanley Cup win in franchise history.

Monday night, the Panthers took town the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 in Sunrise.

Rodrigues, 30, scored four goals and three assists, which was the highest goal and point total for the Panthers in the Finals. His seven points was second to Oilers captain Connor McDavid (3G-8A-11P), who broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for assists in a single postseason with 34 and became the second skater in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite his team losing the Cup.

Rodrigues, an undrafted player out of Boston University, also tied for most goals in NHL history through a player’s first two Cup Final games with 3.

The forward debuted in the league with the Buffalo Sabres before joining the Penguins in 2019. In 124 games over three seasons in the Steel City, he recorded 27 goals, 31 assists and 58 points.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

0