The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from clinching a first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s history after a nail-biting 3-2 victory against the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Making only their second appearance in the final, the Golden Knights take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and can secure the Stanley Cup in Game 5 on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Vegas got off to a quick start when Chandler Stephenson scored the opening goal within the first two minutes of the game, setting the tone for the imposing Golden Knights offense.
In the second period, the 29-year-old Stephenson then tallied his 10th goal of the postseason to double the Golden Knights’ lead, while William Karlsson would add a third as Vegas jumped out to what seemed to be a comfortable 3-0 lead at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
However, with a bit of luck Florida got on the board late in the second period when defenseman Brandon Montour scored on a shot that pinballed off two defenders and into the back of the net to cut the Panthers’ deficit to two goals.
Chandler Stephenson of the Vegas Golden Knights scores past Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers. – Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The “Comeback Cats” seemed to be on their way to another come-from-behind victory in the third period after Aleksander Barkov buried a one-timer to cut the Golden Knights’ lead to 3-2.
Despite several close encounters, including a final attempt at the buzzer stopped by Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill, the Panthers late-game heroics fell just short. After the buzzer, tempers boiled over with players from both teams exchanging punches and fans in the stands throwing objects onto the ice.
Tuesday’s Game 5 is in Las Vegas. – Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Hill finished with 29 saves in the victory to become the first goaltender in NHL history to earn 10 wins in a single postseason after not playing in the team’s opening round.
According to the NHL, teams with a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final have a 36-1 (.973) all-time series record.
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