Vegas Golden Knights hold off Florida Panthers 3-2, move win from Stanley Cup title

The Vegas Golden Knights are a single victory away from securing the franchise’s inaugural Stanley Cup championship after a narrow 3-2 triumph over the Florida Panthers in the fourth game of the final series on Saturday night.

Holding a 3-1 lead in the series, Vegas now has the opportunity to clinch the NHL title at their home ground this coming Tuesday. However, reaching this point hasn’t been a walk in the park.

Double goals from Chandler Stephenson and a breakthrough goal from William Karlsson, ending his series-long dry spell, enabled the Knights to build a 3-0 lead. Yet, the Panthers bounced back with late goals from Brandon Montour in the second period and Aleksander Barkov’s inaugural goal of the series in the third period.

Unfortunately, the comeback was insufficient to save the Florida Panthers, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and final qualifying team for the playoffs, from facing the end of their improbable journey.

Despite Sergei Bobrovsky’s best efforts, saving 28 of the 31 shots aimed at him, the Panthers couldn’t stay afloat. On the other end, journeyman goalie Adin Hill secured his 10th win with 29 saves after stepping in during the second round.

The Golden Knights, only six years into their existence, stand on the precipice of a momentous achievement – the delivery of a championship to Las Vegas, fulfilling owner Bill Foley’s dream to win the Stanley Cup within this timeframe. The team reached the finals in their first season in 2017-18, but was defeated by Washington in five games.

This time, the more talented and better-prepared Knights seem poised for victory. Stephenson, who was on the victorious Capitals side five years ago, and Hill, both were acquired via trade, as were first-line center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone who had two assists in Game 4.

Several original Knights members also contributed to the team’s progress, one step away from the pinnacle of hockey glory. Jonathan Marchessault assisted Karlsson’s decisive goal, his 24th point that ties for the playoff lead in scoring.

The Panthers, however, didn’t go down without a fight. Montour scored a rebound off Brayden Montour and Shea Theodore’s right skates and assisted Barkov in scoring early in the third period.

Despite losing their top scorer Matthew Tkachuk for several shifts, the Panthers kept up the pressure, backed by Bobrovsky’s stellar saves. A brief 6-on-4 advantage due to veteran Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s mishap created a final burst of action but failed to result in the team’s first power-play goal of the series.

Looking ahead to Game 5, the Panthers face another do-or-die situation, and they’ll need to replicate their miraculous comeback from a 3-1 deficit against Boston to prevent the Knights from seizing the championship.

Follow Stephen Whyno, AP Hockey Writer, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno.

For AP NHL playoffs updates: https://bigbignews.net/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Stanley Cup Finals 2023

More about Stanley Cup Finals 2023

• Vegas Golden Knights Official Site
• Florida Panthers Official Site
• NHL Playoffs
• Stanley Cup History
• Chandler Stephenson Profile
• William Karlsson Profile
• Adin Hill Profile
• Sergei Bobrovsky Profile