Stanley Cup Finals – FLA Live Arena, Home to the Florida Panthers – Sunrise, FL – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Felix Mizioznikov
After this year’s NHL championship round, a first-time Stanley Cup winner will be crowned.
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their six-year history.
The Florida Panthers, who won their conference final and are making their first Final trip since 1996, will take on Vegas. The teams’ 1-1 season series was tied.
The Stars won the next two games despite the Golden Knights having a 3-0 series lead. But on Monday night, the Golden Knights jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead and went on to win the game and the series.
Three minutes and 41 seconds into the game, William Carter scored the game’s first goal. Goals by William Karlsson and Keegan Kolesar followed in the opening period. With a goal in the second period, Jonathan Marchessault maintained his stellar postseason performance. Third-period goals from Karlsson and Michael Amadio gave Vegas a six-goal advantage.
The Stanley Cup Final, a best-of-seven series that begins Saturday night in Las Vegas, will include the following matchups:
Last season, the Golden Knights gambled by dealing for Jack Eichel, but due to injuries (Eichel didn’t suit up until after neck surgery) and salary cap issues, they missed the playoffs for the first time. Former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy took over as the new coach after Peter DeBoer was sacked.
Mark Stone, the team’s captain, and the goalkeeper both sustained more wounds. The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division and secured the best record in the Western Conference despite Robin Lehner missing the 2022–23 season and having five different starting goalies. Adin Hill has taken over as the starting goalie for the playoffs since injured Laurent Brossoit.
The Golden Knights are back in the championship game thanks to Stone’s return for the postseason and a healthy lineup that includes Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and former Stanley Cup winner and trade deadline acquisition Ivan Barbashev. They defeated the Stars (six games), Edmonton Oilers (five games), and Winnipeg Jets (five games). The large defenders for the Golden Knights excel at keeping opponents on the perimeter and blocking shots.
A few former Panthers have contributed significantly to Vegas’ early success. In exchange for a fourth-round pick, then-GM Dale Tallon sent Reilly Smith to the Golden Knights, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season in 2017–18, leaving Marchessault unprotected. In his last 10 games, Marchessault has nine goals and six assists.
The Stanley Cup Final was reached by the Florida Panthers in what way?
The Panthers are not your typical 92-point squad; they came in 19 points behind the Golden Knights. They won the Presidents’ Trophy the previous year with 122 points but changed their approach after being eliminated in the second round. It took some time for the Panthers to adapt under new coach Paul Maurice, but they eventually made up ground and won the second wild-card club slot. They subsequently overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins (135 points) in seven games, the Toronto Maple Leafs (111 points) in five games, and the Carolina Hurricanes (113 points) in four games.
The Panthers’ tough scorer Matthew Tkachuk, who was acquired in a summer blockbuster trade, is in first place with 21 points and scored three game-winning goals in the conference championship. One of the league’s best two-way forwards is captain Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers score goals from all over the lineup including from their physical forces Sam Bennett and Radko Gudas. Their forechecking aggression confuses the opposition.
The veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has rediscovered the form that earned him two Vezina medals, is the other important factor. He didn’t make his debut until Game 4 of the opening round, which the Bruins won. For Game 5, though, Maurice inserted him once more, and he halted Brad Marchand’s late-game breakaway to help his team go on an 11-1 run. Prior to the Hurricanes beating him by three goals on Wednesday, he had allowed two or fewer goals in eight straight games dating back to the second round. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, he recorded 63 saves in a four-overtime victory, giving him two games with 50 saves.
What is the Stanley Cup Final schedule?
Saturday, June 3: Florida at Vegas, 8, TNT
Monday, June 5: Florida at Vegas, 8, TNT
Thursday, June 8: Vegas at Florida, 8, TNT
Saturday, June 10: Vegas at Florida, 8, TNT
x-Tuesday, June 13: Florida at Vegas, 8, TNT
x-Friday, June 16: Vegas at Florida, 8, TNT
x-Monday, June 19: Florida at Vegas, 8, TNT
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.