Classic Rewind: Panthers Cruise To Game 1 Win over Pens in 1996 ECF

The Florida Panthers were clearly ready for their close-up.

Facing down two of the NHL's all-time great scorers, the Florida Panthers were far from fazed as they cruised to a 5-1 win over Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and the rest of the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening contest of the Eastern Conference Final on May 18, 1996.

As part of their "Panthers Rewind" series, FOX Sports Florida re-aired the win on Thursday.

"We heard Jagr said he wanted us," Panthers captain Brian Skrudland told ESPN prior to the start of the highly-anticipated matchup at Civic Arena. "Well, he's got us. And we've got him."

Early on, it was clear the Panthers were going to make Jagr eat his words.

Following series wins over Boston and Philadelphia, the Panthers came out flying in their first game against the Penguins. Sent to an early power play, Dave Lowry broke the ice when his shot went off a defender's skate and right into the net to make it 1-0 at 1:52 of the first period.

Later in the opening period, Tom Fitzgerald picked the perfect time to record his first goal of the playoffs. After receiving a pass from Scott Mellanby in the slot, he went from his forehand to his backhand before sending a shot past Ken Wregget to increase Florida's lead up to 2-0 at 16:11.

Not done there, Fitzgerald also scored the lone goal of the second period, blasting home a shot from just below the blue line past a well-screened Wregget to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead going into the final frame. Although he had just two shots against Pittsburgh, both ended up in the net.

In the third period, Kevin Miller finally managed to get the Penguins on the board, beating John Vanbiesbrouck to trim Florida's lead down to 3-1 at 7:03. However, that would stand as the lone blemish on Vanbiesbrouck's near-perfect night as he turned aside 32 of 33 shots in the victory.

The backbone of the team's incredible playoff run, Vanbiesbrouck, who fans know better simply as "Beezer," really set the tone for the Panthers early on against Pittsburgh when he came out of the net to deny Lemieux on a breakaway attempt with a gutsy poke check in the first period.

Stifling Pittsburgh's vaunted scorers, Vanbiesbrouck posted a .938 save percentage in the series.

"I think that team, when we started, had such a great group of guys, and [Vanbiesbrouck] was the leader," Panthers radio color analyst Billy Lindsay, a teammate of Vanbiesbrouck's from 1993-1998, told FloridaPanthers.com in 2015. "We didn't have superstars on the ice, as far as forwards and defensemen, but we had a superstar in net, and it was John Vanbiesbrouck."

With Vanbiesbrouck keeping the Penguins in check, Lowry helped the Panthers pull away when he netted his second goal of the night to make it 4-1 at 15:41. Taken in the 1993 Expansion Draft, Lowry was an absolute scoring machine during the postseason, leading the team with 10 goals.

Then, with 1:12 left in regulation, Mellanby potted a goal on the power play to make it 5-1. The father of the "Rat Trick," he tallied a team-high three points (one goal, two assists) in the victory.

As for the Panthers, it was one down and three more to go to reach the 1996 Stanley Cup Final.

Want to re-live the rest of the series? You're in luck! FOX Sports Florida has you covered.

The broadcast schedule for the next installments of classic "Panthers Rewinds" is as follows:

April 26, 7:30 PM: Game 3 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

April 30, 7 PM:Game 6 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

May 3, 7:30 PM: Game 7 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

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