Padres star Manny Machado goes all in on Florida Panthers before Stanley Cup showdown

It appears San Diego Padres superstar Manny Machado, one of the most accomplished players in baseball, also enjoys his fair share of hockey.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Machado made his allegiances for the ongoing Stanley Cup final clear, as he posted a snap wearing a Florida Panthers jersey on Instagram on Saturday.

The Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 tonight.

"LFGGGGG PANTHERS 🔥🔥!!!!!!" Machado captioned the post.

The Panthers finished third in the Atlantic Division to secure their spot in the playoffs this season. They have beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes en route to the final, where they are facing off against a familiar foe, the Oilers.

These two teams faced each other last year as well, with the Panthers winning a rollercoaster of a series 4-3 and securing their first Stanley Cup title in the process.

This season's showdown seems to be a repeat of the same script, with the series tied at two games apiece after the Oilers' comeback victory on Thursday. Crucially, however, just like the Panthers did last year, the Oilers hold home ice advantage if the series were to go to seven games again this time around.

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Manny Machado will look to replicate Florida Panthers' heroics of last year and help Padres win first World Series title

Just like the Panthers managed last year, Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres will also be looking to finally win the franchise's first World Series Championship come October.

Having signed a bumper deal to head to Petco Park as a free agent in 2019, Machado has been a part of numerous top-quality Padres rosters over the years. However, the team has always seemed to run out of steam at the worst possible time of the season in years prior.

Machado is enjoying a great season on an individual level, batting .319, with ten home runs and 39 RBIs.

San Diego Padres v Arizona Diamondbacks - Source: Getty

The Padres, third in the NL West with a 38-30 record, are also well placed to make it to the postseason yet again.