The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers by a score of 3-2 on Saturday to extend their series lead and put themselves on the precipice of Stanley Cup glory.
It wasn't pretty, but the Vegas Golden Knights held on just long enough to extend their series lead to three games to one on Saturday night, edging the Florida Panthers by a score of 3-2 to head back home with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Game 4 managed to flip the script on Game 3 early on, as the Golden Knights stormed out of the gate and peppered the Panthers with shots through the opening stretch. As that onslaught continued, Zach Whitecloud corralled the puck to re-group at the opposing blueline in-between zone entries and surveyed his surroundings before feeding a gorgeous lead pass to a streaking Chandler Stephenson. Taking the pass in stride, Stephenson somehow snuck through a pair of Panthers defenders undetected and barrelled in on Sergei Bobrovsky for a breakaway which he quickly wired home. Less than two minutes in, and the Golden Knights had jumped to a 1-0 lead and pushed the Panthers back on their heels.
Stephenson wasn't finished with his rampage, either. Midway through the second period, Stephenson would crash the crease on Bobrovsky yet again, only to this time get turned away. After circling back outside the zone to regain possession, though, Stephenson managed to sneak in beneath the Panthers' defense for the second time and receive a deftly placed feed from Mark Stone, which Stephenson immediately deposited on a one-timer to double Vegas' lead.
Despite keeping pace when it came to scoring chances and possession, the Panthers found themselves in a quickly-deepening hole as the second period ticked down.
And, like clockwork, the hole deepened once more.
Less than two minutes after Stephenson's marker, Vegas continued to pressure the Panthers deep in their zone, with their fierce forecheck eventually resulting in some broken coverage. Naturally, the Golden Knights took advantage, with William Karlsson getting open on the left hashmark to cap off yet another one-timer and push the lead to 3-0. The goal was ultimately a back-breaker for the Panthers and faced them with a deficit that was impossible to erase.
But Florida wasn't going down without a fight.
As the second period began to wind down, the Panthers tested the theory that putting pucks on net will eventually lead to goals. Their hypothesis was proven correct, as Brandon Montour threw an innocent-looking shot towards the Vegas cage that proceeded to pinball off both Golden Knights defenders standing in front and squeak by a stunned Adin Hill, who simply had no idea where the puck ever was. The goal reinvigorated the crowd at FLA Live Arena and gave the Panthers a noticeable spark. Whether it would result in further production remained to be seen.
Early in the third period, said production would come.
As both teams shared chances at either end, the Panthers managed to earn some extended time in Vegas' end. Keeping the puck in at the blueline, Montour would pinch down and go for a skate along the left wall, flinging a pass through a crowded slot and somehow finding a streaking Aleksander Barkov, who got just enough juice on it to beat Adin Hill glove side and cut the Golden Knights' lead to one.
Suddenly, we had a game. And Florida did not let up.
Alas, a late flurry of action would ultimately be for naught, as the Golden Knights managed to quell the surging Panthers just enough for the clock to run out and their series lead to extend to 3-1, setting up a potential home date with the Stanley Cup on Tuesday.
If Game 4 was any indication, though, the Panthers aren't content to let this series slip away without a fight.