The Florida Panthers are seeking their first Stanley Cup in the franchise's second appearance in the NHL Stanley Cup Final.
The Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights will face off in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are the representative from the Eastern Conference, while the Golden Knights are the representative from the Western Conference. The Golden Knights will have home ice advantage in the best-of-7 series.
It's been an underdog show for Florida. They entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The motto of their playoff run has been "Why not us?" Now, they enter the Stanley Cup Final with the same can-do attitude.
Here are three reasons why the Panthers can win the Stanley Cup and two reasons why they might not. First, let's look at their path to victory.
Reasons why the Panthers will win: 1. The Panthers are underdogs who knocked out higher-seeded teams by being hot at the right time
The Panthers have proven they're not afraid of high-ranked teams. They're hot at the right time. As a wild card team, they eliminated three of the four highest-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference: the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Carolina Hurricanes. The only top four Eastern Conference team they didn't eliminate was the New Jersey Devils. They didn't face each other. The Devils were eliminated by the Hurricanes in a five game Round 2 before the Panthers swept the Canes in the next round.
The Bruins had the best record in the NHL with a record-breaking 65-win season. They had 135 points in the regular season. The Panthers just managed to squeak into the playoffs with 93 points. It didn't matter. Once the playoffs start, all that matters is how two teams in a series do at that moment. The underdogs seized the moment. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Panthers eliminated the Bruins in overtime in Game 7.
After gaining confidence in the first round, the Panthers haven't looked back since. In Round 2, the Panthers beat the Maple Leafs in six games. In the Eastern Conference Final, they beat the Canes in four straight games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Throughout the playoffs, they've needed less and less games each round to take down their opponents. Facing the highest-seeded team in the Western Conference won't scare the mighty Panthers. They've shown that the regular season record doesn't matter in the playoffs. All that matters is the here and the now.
Reasons why the Panthers will win: 2. Their offense, especially Matthew Tkachuk, has been potent
The Panthers offense has been unstoppable in the playoffs. They've been great in high-pressure situations, and they take advantage of the power play. The standouts for Florida have been Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Tkachuk is an aggressive player who creates space and is a strong skater. During the playoffs, he leads the team in goals with nine and in assists with 12. He has a 10 +/- and an 18.8% shooting percentage. Tkachuk has scored four game-winning goals this postseason. It will be difficult for the Golden Knights to stop Tkachuk.
Aleksander Barkov is a confident two-way player. The captain of the team has really taken off during the playoffs. After a slow start during the first round, he flourished in the next two rounds. He has four goals and 10 assists through 16 games. Three of his assists came on the power play. Even though Barkov hasn't scored a ton of goals, he's constantly moving the puck in the right direction. Barkov had an injury scare during the Eastern Conference Final, where he left the game with a lower-body injury, but he came back strong in the next game and picked up right where he left off.
Several players have had impressive offensive output during the playoffs. Tkachuk has 21 points, Carter Verhaeghe has 15 points, and Barkov has 14 points. Tkachuk has scored four power play goals, and Sam Reinhart has scored three. Offensive defenseman Brandon Montour has scored six goals. Sam Bennett has seven assists, with three of them during a power play. The Panthers are strong on the rush and great at creating chances. This team is gritty and doesn't back down.
Reasons why the Panthers will win: 3. Sergei Bobrovsky's goaltending has been unbelievable
Goalie Sergei Bobrovksy has been unreal for Florida during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bobrovsky is a powerful and athletic goalie who has won the NHL's Vezina Trophy twice. He has played in the NHL for 13 seasons. Bobrosvky has a record of 11-2 with a .935 SV% and a 2.21 GAA during the 2023 playoffs. His stats are even better than during the regular season. He had a .901 SV% and a 3.07 GAA. Bobrovsky missed a few playoff starts against Boston due to an illness, but he has been hard to beat ever since.
Florida's other goalie, Alex Lyon, recently spoke about Bobrovsky's success, as reported by Kristen Shilton of ESPN. "It's like a writer being in a room with Ernest Hemingway," Lyon said. "To see him operate on a daily basis, that's literally like striking gold."
One of the biggest tests for Bobrovsky during the playoffs was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes. Bobrosky made 63 saves in a quadruple-overtime win.
At 34 years old, Bobrovsky may not see many more chances like this one to win the Stanley Cup. With this in mind, the veteran is playing his heart out. If Florida can wear down Vegas' strong goalie, Adin Hill, and Bobrovsky stays as solid as he's been, the Panthers will come away with the victory.
Now, let's look at two roadblocks that could prevent the Panthers from taking the Cup.
Reasons why the Panthers won't win: 1. The Golden Knights have more depth
While the Panthers have a lot of talent in the lineup, the Golden Knights have more depth on their roster. The Golden Knights are going to give the Panthers a tough time. Some of their forwards are Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Mark Stone, and William Karlsson. It isn't just the first and second lines that are scary; the Golden Knights can find the back of the net no matter what line is on the ice. The Golden Knights offense can out-battle the Panthers because the Panthers don't have the same kind of star power in their lineup. The Panthers will need to scratch and claw with all of their might to match the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights' strongest defensemen are Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo, who will look to shut down the Panthers' offense. The rest of their defensemen are tough customers, too. The Panthers may struggle to get past them. Up and down the lineup, the Golden Knights contribute to the game. Vegas has a solid goalie in Adin Hill. Throughout the series, Hill will be tested by the Panthers' offense. They will need to put pressure on Hill, but if he can stay strong, the Panthers will have a hard time scoring. With how both goalies have been playing, it might be a low-scoring series.
What it comes down to is that the Panthers can't afford to make mistakes. The Golden Knights are the stronger team 5v5. Florida will need to capitalize on the power play and shut down Vegas on the penalty kill. Ultimately, if the Golden Knights play the way they've been playing, it will be difficult to beat them.
Reasons why the Panthers won't win: 2. Loss of momentum after too much time off
While some time off can be a good thing, there is such a thing as too much time. The Panthers had nine days off in between the Eastern Conference Final and the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights had four days off in between games. Having twice as much time off is a disadvantage. Four days off is enough time to rest. Nine days is enough time to lose momentum.
The Panthers have had a lot of momentum throughout their playoff run, but with so many days off, it might take two or three games to find momentum again. By then, the team could find themselves in a hole. They'll need to fight hard to find that momentum sooner. A slow start to Game 1 is not fatal, but it could get tricky if it takes too long to get going.
In Round 1, Florida came back from being down 3-1 in the series against Boston, but replicating that incredible comeback would be challenging. The Panthers will need to find a spark, otherwise the Golden Knights can run away with the series.
Can the underdogs go all the way? The Stanley Cup Final begins on Saturday, June 3rd and features the Florida Panthers vs. the Vegas Golden Knights.