The Vegas Golden Knights emerged victorious 3-2 in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers at FLA Live arena on Saturday.
The victory gave them a 3-1 series lead. It put them within a win of securing their maiden Stanley Cup championship. Here's how it happened:
Stanley Cup Finals: Golden Knights Chandler Stephenson steps up
Chandler Stephenson stepped up after struggling to find the net in the series' first three games.
Stephenson scored Vegas's first two goals, giving them a 2-0 lead. His two tallies helped bring Vegas within a win of the Cup.
The goals quickly sapped any momentum Florida had gained from their Game 3 victory. His first tally came 69 seconds into the contest off a slick feed from Zach Whitecloud. It allowed Stephenson to use his signature deke move to open up Sergei Bobrovsky's pads and beat him five-hole to give his team the early lead.
Stephenson scored his second goal of the night off a one-timer from Mark Stone, which found the top shelf of the net. The center has continued his impressive performance from the regular season, where he achieved a career-high of 65 points. He has ten goals and 19 points in 21 playoff games.
Both goals came from Vegas's relentless forecheck, which they've thrived on throughout the season. William Karlsson made it 3-0 with 8:56 to go in the second. Once again, strong forechecking led to this goal. The puck bounced to Nicolas Hague, whose shot on net was stopped. Karlsson then pounced on the rebound for his eleventh goal of the postseason.
At that point, it was clear Vegas had moved on from their overtime loss on Thursday. They spent Friday away from the rink and enjoyed South Beach. It helped them move forward, knowing they still led the series 2-1 and not backward.
The Golden Knights could've turned this into a laugher as they did with their 7-2 rout in Game 2. But a Reilly Smith post and crucial saves by Bobrovsky kept Florida in the contest.
The Panthers didn't go away. They increased their tenacity. They raised their intensity and showed they could also do damage through their forecheck.
Stanley Cup Finals: Aleksander Barkov strikes back
In despair and in need of a break, the Panthers received life late in the second period when a shot from Brandon Montour deflected off the legs of Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore and into the net.
Then 3:50 into the third period, captain Aleksander Barkov scored, making it a one-goal game. Montour made a backhand pass through the crease to Barkov on the opposite side, who beat Adin Hill for his first point of the series.
Minutes later, Barkov almost notched his second goal to even the score, but he couldn't push the loose puck across the line.
The Panthers were on their way. Just as they've done all postseason, they were going to pull off another miracle comeback. Only it wasn't meant to be this time.
Stanley Cup Finals: Panthers Mathew Tkachuk battling through injury
Matthew Tkachuk missed 10 minutes in the third period due to a possible injury. He returned with five minutes left and almost played hero again. But this time, Hill made a sensational pad save, securing the victory for Vegas.
Tkachuk had zero points and only recorded three shots. It's unclear what happened. But he wasn't shooting during warmups, and he may still be banged up from a previous game where he left because of a concussion protocol after being bodied by Keeegan Kolesar.
Stanley Cup Finals: Vegas embraces the grind
If the Golden Knights have taught the hockey world anything, it's that size matters. Vegas blocked 31 shots in Game 3 and blocked 30 shots in Game 4. Vegas has always been reliant on their defensive prowess. It's something head coach Bruce Cassidy has preached since September.
"The shot attempts to me is an interesting analytic because there are teams that pound the puck from anywhere, and there are other teams that play maybe for a better look, for high-percentage shots," Cassidy told EP Rinkside. "I think we fall into the latter and Florida's the former. I see it with Carolina and Calgary, certain teams we play against. We know what's coming, so cover at the front of the net. That's what happens. A lot of these do get blocked if we're sort of on our toes, and we know maybe what's coming before it arrives. So there are tendencies, and we look at those, just like teams will look at our tendencies."
The Panthers had sustained offensive zone time. But they couldn't penetrate the middle and failed to score. Much of that is due to Vegas's size. They use it offensively too. Their shooters have held onto the puck more than in their previous series. It's allowed for other Golden Knights players to bump Panthers defenders away, create screens and take away the eyes of Sergei Bobrovsky.
"We know our size and the advantage it can be," defenseman Nicolas Hague told the Athletic. "And we try to use it. It's not always about crushing hits. More just about a good stick, good body positioning, not being pushed around by a forecheck."
"You also have to be able to move, and that's where we have a really good combination where we can skate with it, too. I think it helps us a lot to play both sides of it. You look at a guy like Shea (Theodore), who skates as well as anyone and also has a big body. It's nice to have when you're looking for those things."
The Golden Knights don't have any undersized defensemen. Alec Martinez is 6-1, 210 pounds. Alex Pietrangelo is 6-3, 215 pounds. Brayden Mcnabb is 6-4, 215 pounds. Shea Theodore is 6-2 197 pounds. Hague is 6-6, 230 pounds. Zach Whitecloud is 6-3, 207 pounds.
Successful Cup-winning teams like the 2019 St. Louis Blues and the 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning had strong, skilled defense lineups. It included players like Colten Parayko (6-6, 228 pounds), Victor Hedman (6-7, 244 pounds), and Ryan McDonagh (6-1, 215 pounds). Last year, the champion Colorado Avalanche added Josh Manson (6-3, 218 pounds).
It reinforced the importance of size and reach in playoff hockey. Possessing both size and skill on the blue line is critical to success. If the Golden Knights knock out the Panthers, it may confirm that more prominent players are needed on defense in the NHL. But as Barkov said, "You've gotta win four."
Stanley Cup Finals: Hardest win is yet to come for Golden Knights
Vegas knows how hard it is to close out a series. They needed six games to close out Dallas in the Western Conference Final after taking a 3-0 series lead. The Panthers know what it's like to be on the brink of elimination. They trailed the Boston Bruins 3-1 in their first-round series.
Then, they rallied and stunned the best team in NHL regular season history with three straight victories to advance.
"You've got to take it day by day. We've got a couple of days here to regroup," Pietrangelo told EP Rinkside. "We've played well at home here in the playoffs, so you've got to feel pretty good going home with a 3-1 lead."
They do feel pretty good. They'll feel even better if they win on Tuesday at T-Mobile arena and give the city their maiden Stanley Cup.
"I mean, you can't not (think about it)," Hill told EP Rinkside. "It's the ultimate goal in hockey. So there's no way you can shut that off in your mind. You're thinking about that, but at the same time, it's just staying in the moment and focusing on the next play, the next shift."