Like 1990s moviegoers finding out Bruce Willis' character really was dead all along, the Florida Panthers' dominant run to the Stanley Cup Final has taken us all by surprise.
But what else do both of those plot twists have in common? We should have seen them coming.
Florida surely left its own trail of breadcrumbs in the regular season, right? Some hidden Easter eggs that indicate just what could be possible for the Panthers if they made it into the postseason?
The potential had to be there. Florida bullying its way through the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes could hardly be accidental.