Vegas Golden Knights move to within ONE win of lifting the Stanley Cup as they beat Florida Panthers on the road to take 3-1 lead… as game ends in all-out brawl
- The Panthers pulled two goals back after falling behind 3-0 to Golden Knights
- But Vegas held on and will have a chance to close out the series Tuesday
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The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final Saturday night.
Chandler Stephenson gave Vegas a first-period lead before doubling his team’s advantage in the second period.
And two goals quickly turned into three for the visitors as William Karlsson scored his 11th goal of the postseason four minutes later to give Vegas a healthy 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 back into it.
Once again Sergei Bobrovsky almost kept the Panthers afloat, stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced and giving up goals when teammates left him out to dry.
Golden Knights’ Chandler Stephenson celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period
Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura (28) and Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson fight during the third period
Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov is punched by Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb
At the other end of the ice, journeyman goaltender Adin Hill made 29 saves for his 10th win since stepping in during the middle of the second round.
With its net emptied in the final seconds, Florida pushed to score but Carter Verhaeghe saw his shot saved, and the two sides broke out into a fight after the horn sounded.
The Golden Knights will have a chance to close out the series at home in Game 5 on Tuesday.
William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his second period goal
Alex Pietrangelo #7 of Golden Knights and Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Panthers mix it up
They reached the final in their inaugural season in 2017-18 before losing to Washington in five games.
Vegas is more talented and has certainly looked more prepared for the spotlight this time around. Stephenson – who beat them five years ago as a member of the Capitals – and Hill were trade acquisitions, as was first-line center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone, who had two assists in Game 4.
A couple of original Knights players also helped them take the penultimate step to the peak of hockey’s mountaintop.
Jonathan Marchessault assisted on Karlsson’s goal that made it 3-0, his 24th point that ties for the playoff lead in scoring.
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