With a 6-0 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, the Vegas Golden Knights have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history and first since the inaugural campaign.
Jillian Wagner
The Golden Knights went 12-5 through the first three rounds of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs but are four important wins shy of the ultimate prize.
They will have to go through the Florida Panthers – also competing in their second Cup Final in franchise history – to get there. Florida, which entered the playoffs as the second wildcard team, is on a Cinderella run after upsetting the Cup-favorite Boston Bruins, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games and sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Panthers finished the regular season with a 42-32-8 record for 92 points, 19 fewer than Vegas’ Western Conference-best 111.
As a result, the Golden Knights will have home-ice advantage for the fourth series in a row, though that hasn’t been a deterrent for the Panthers, who are led by Sergei Bobrovsky – playing by far the best hockey of his career – and Matthew Tkachuk, who has been remarkably clutch in his first year with the Panthers.
Both Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith were members of the Florida Panthers prior to the Vegas Expansion Draft. Marchessault was the Golden Knights’ official selection from Florida, while George McPhee landed Smith for a 2018 fourth-round pick.
The Golden Knights are 6-3-1 against the Panthers in the all-time matchup; the two clubs split the 2022-23 season series.
The Stanley Cup Final is set to begin on Saturday, June 3; if necessary, Game 7 will be Monday, June 19. Every game is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT, and the entire series will air on Turner Sports networks.
Golden Knights vs. Panthers – Round 4 schedule
Game 1: Panthers at Golden Knights – Sat., June 3 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Game 2: Panthers at Golden Knights – Mon., June 5 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Game 3: Golden Knights at Panthers – Thurs., June 8 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Game 4: Golden Knights at Panthers – Sat., June 10 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Game 5*: Panthers at Golden Knights – Tues., June 13 – 5 pm (TNT, truTV)
Game 6*: Golden Knights at Panthers – Fri., June 16 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Game 7*: Panthers at Golden Knights – Mon., June 19 – 5 pm (TNT, TBS, truTV)
*If necessary