Global Courant
With no time left on the clock in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, helmets, gloves, sticks and plastic rats littered the ice, the result of a scuffle began in the final seconds of an emotional showdown.
Despite all the punches, shoves, and shoves that piled up in the fight, none of them changed the outcome: The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning their first Stanley Cup title.
Vegas was able to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday night, averting a rally that culminated in a last shot and big save at the end to take a 3-1 lead into the Cup Final.
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Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy screams during the second period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“Obviously it was a battle to the last second,” said Vegas forward Nicolas Roy. “They pushed back there. We knew they would. They’ve done it all series. But it sure is nice to get those.”
The Golden Knights can win the NHL championship on home ice on Tuesday night.
“We played really well here at home in the play-offs, so you should feel pretty good going home with a 3-1 lead,” defender Alex Pietrangelo said.
It wasn’t easy to get to this point.
Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights, and William Karlsson broke through to end his long goal streak and build a 3–0 lead. The Panthers scored twice – Brandon Montour on a pinball goal late in the second period, and Aleksander Barkov’s first of the series early in the third – to claw it back in.
But their rally fell short and placed Florida, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and the last team to qualify for the playoffs, on the verge of ending this improbable run.
“We’ve earned the right to play our best hockey,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. “Where we’ve been at our strongest is at the most critical moment. I think you’ll see that.”
Trailing 2-1 in the series, Sergei Bobrovsky once again almost kept the Panthers afloat by stopping 28 of 31 shots he conceded and holding back goals when teammates left him to dry. Across the ice, goalkeeper Adin Hill made 29 saves for his 10th win since interfering midway through the second round.
FLORIDA REPORTER STIFF-ARMS GOLDEN KNIGHTS FAN TRIES TO INTERRUPT LIVE BROADCAST OF STANLEY CUP FINAL
Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson (20) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
“It’s an honor for him that he was prepared when he came in there a few series ago,” said Pietrangelo. “You must be happy for him.”
The Golden Knights need to win just one more game to deliver a championship to Las Vegas in their sixth year of existence, surpassing owner Bill Foley’s goal of winning the Stanley Cup during that span. They reached the Finals in their first season in 2017-18 before losing to Washington in five games.
Vegas is more talented and certainly seemed more prepared for the spotlight this time around. Stephenson — whom she defeated five years ago as a member of the Capitals — and Hill were trade takeovers, as were frontline center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone, who had two assists in Game 4.
A pair of original Knights players also helped them take the penultimate step to the top of the hockey mountain. Jonathan Marchessault assisted on Karlsson’s goal that made it 3–0, his 24th point tying the playoff lead.
Then the Panthers made it interesting. Montour scored by banking the puck off Brayden McNabb’s right skate and then Shea Theodore’s right skate and past Hill with 3:51 left in the second period and set up Barkov with a perfect pass from behind the net 3:50 in the third .
Florida missed leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk for several shifts, but kept buzzing around Hill and got some more big stops from Bobrovsky to continue the pressure. A 6-to-4 lead of 17.4 seconds when veteran Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo put the puck over the glass provided a final few chances, but failed to give the team its first power play goal of the series.
It also set off a scrum that resulted in six penalties, including two unsportsmanlike penalties and two misconducts.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) joins congratulations center William Karlsson (71) after Karlsson scored a goal during the second period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Sunrise, custard. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“I kind of felt my helmet being lifted, and they had six guys on the ice, we had four, so kind of get in there and try to help teammates,” said Hill, who threw some punches as part of the fight. . “I don’t know if a message really needs to be sent. We’re just getting ready for (Game 5) Tuesday.”
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That will be one last chance for the Panthers, who must replicate their opening-round comeback from 3-1 to Boston to prevent Vegas from taking it all.
