Chandler Stephenson scored twice to help the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday in a hotly contested Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Golden Knights lead 3-1 in the series. Under such circumstances, the team leading 3-1 won the Stanley Cup 36 out of 37 times. Only the 1942 Maple Leafs made such a comeback to win the title.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Las Vegas when the Golden Knights could lift the Stanley Cup in front of their fans.
William Karlsson scored the other goal for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill stopped 29 shots in the win.
Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves.
“It’s a different feeling when you know the Cup will be in the arena,” Stephenson said after the match. We have to keep the same attitude. It’s cliché, but it is. Our team has a lot of experience and it will help us in the next match. ”
Stephenson was initially overlooked by the Panthers defense and escaped after receiving a pass from Zach Whitecloud. The forward beat Bobrovsky with a shot between the pads for his ninth goal of the playoffs. Mark Stone also had an assist on the goal, scored just 1:39 into the game.
With just over 10 minutes left in the first period, the Panthers had a chance to tie the game when the puck landed on Matthew Tkachuk’s stick blade.
Positioned near Hill’s semi-circle, Tkachuk saw the keeper steal a goal from him with a quick move to his left, despite several players close to him.
Stephenson scored his second goal of the game with 12:32 left in the second period. His 10th of the playoffs came on a good one-time wrist shot that rattled off the post as the puck entered the top of the net.
Stone picked up another assist and Nicolas Hague also helped on Stephenson’s second goal.
Karlsson made it 3-0 by taking advantage of a throw return to score. His shot hit Bobrovsky’s back, before ending up in the back of the net.
After 16:09 of play in the second frame, Montour made it 3-1 when his shot deflected off the skates of two Golden Knights players and ended up behind Hill. The goal gave hope to the Panthers, who could not afford to allow the next goal. Barkov and Anton Lundell had assists.
With 16:10 remaining in the third period, the Panthers scored their second straight goal when Barkov scored his first goal of the final. The Panthers captain was overlooked near the face-off circle to Hill’s left and took the opportunity to beat the goalie and make it 3-2. Montour and Lundell set up Barkov’s net.
Despite going over two minutes with a sixth skater late in the game, the Panthers failed to tie the game. A short scrum broke out after the final whistle.
“It was a real battle until the last second,” Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy said. They came back with a bang and we knew they would. They did this throughout the series. It’s great to win this game, that’s for sure. ”
Both teams are hoping to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history.
“We are exactly where we want to be,” Captain Stone said at the microphone of the NHL Network. We know the Panthers are frustrated, but we also know they’ll give their best effort in the next game. We will be ready to face them. ”
The Panthers lost to the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 in their only other Final appearance. The Golden Knights surrendered to the Washington Capitals in the Finals in 2018, when they were in their first NHL campaign.
