The Vegas Golden Knights are going back to Sin City with a chance to clinch the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Golden Knights held off a late Florida Panthers rally to win Game 4, 3-2.
Vegas got going early when Chandler Stephenson scored just 1:39 into the game, and he scored again in the second period to double the lead. Not bad for a guy who was on the ice for three goals against in Game 3. By the time William Karlsson gave the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead midway through the game, it looked like the Panthers were going to get blown out.
The first two periods were all Vegas, and Florida needed some help to get back into the game. The hockey gods gave it to them late in the second period when Brandon Montour's shot kicked off two Golden Knights and into the net late in the period. That gave them some life, and Aleksander Barkov scored early in the third period to send FLA Live Arena into a frenzy.
Fortunately for the Golden Knights, that was as close as the Panthers would get. Florida threw everything and the kitchen sink at Adin Hill in the third period, but it couldn't net the game-tying goal. Hill made some huge saves to keep the Golden Knights ahead, including a brilliant pad save on Matthew Tkachuk with just one second remaining.
Vegas survived a chaotic ending, and it now has a 3-1 lead as the series shifts back to Las Vegas. The Panthers have already come back from that exact deficit in these playoffs, but doing it against this Golden Knights team will be an incredibly tall task.
Chandler Stephenson did not play his best game in the Golden Knights' Game 3 loss. Vegas controlled just 26.9% of the shot attempts, 30.8% of the scoring chances and 45.6% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
To top it all off, Stephenson was on the ice for all three of the Panthers' goals. He needed to rebound in Game 4, and he did just that with perhaps his best game of the playoffs.
It didn't take long for Stephenson to redeem himself. Just under two minutes into the game, the Panthers took a bad line change, and Stephenson broke in on Sergei Bobrovsky untouched. Stephenson got Bobrovsky sliding side to side, and he simply tucked the puck in the five hole.
In the second period, Stephenson struck again. This time, he took a beautiful feed from Mark Stone and deposited his shot off the post and into the back of the net.
The underlying numbers also told a very different story on Saturday night. The Golden Knights dominated with Stephenson in the game at five-on-five. Vegas controlled 73.7% of the scoring chances and 69.3% of the expected goals in those situations. This was an unbelievable bounce back performance from Stephenson, who put his team up 3-1 in the series.
Anyone who has been waiting on Adin Hill to hit a wall in these playoffs can keep on waiting. He played another spectacular game on Saturday, and he has the Golden Knights just one win away from a Stanley Cup.
Hill stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced tonight, and he allowed just two goals on 2.48 expected goals against, per Natural Stat Trick. Hill has frustrated the Panthers for most of this series, and Matthew Tkachuk has commonly been victimized in Hill's string of robberies.
In the first period, Hill made an excellent save when Tkachuk dug the puck out of a pile in the slot and had a clean look at the net, but that was not his finest stop of the night. As time expired in the third period, Tkachuk got the puck in the slot again. Hill was down and out, but he was still able to get a pad on it and keep it out of the cage.
Hill is one quality start away from hoisting the Stanley Cup -- and maybe winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. What a run from a goaltender who was somewhat of an afterthought coming into the playoffs.
It's clear that Matthew Tkachuk is battling an injury. In Game 4, Tkachuk wasn't as effective as he normally is, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice used him very sparingly in the third period.
Tkachuk is the engine that drives the Panthers, and he has shouldered much of the burden for them throughout this playoff run. He has four game-winning goals, and he scored the game-tying goal with under three minutes left in Game 3. If he isn't fully healthy, Florida needs to get its production from elsewhere.
The Golden Knights' depth has been firing on all cylinders, but the same cannot be said for the Panthers. Florida has relied on its big guns to win games, and that has worked to this point. The issue is that the Panthers are facing elimination, and they desperately need their bottom six to chip in more if they're going to stay alive.
Aleksander Barkov and Brandon Montour both tallied two points in Game 4, but they will need some more help to win Game 5 in Las Vegas. Sam Reinhart, Nick Cousins, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad have been relatively quiet in the Stanley Cup Final. They need to make some noise on Tuesday night to force a Game 6 in Florida.
The Vegas Golden Knights escape Game 4 with a 3-2 win by the skin of their teeth. The Panthers had a 6-on-4 opportunity for the final 17 seconds, and they came within inches of tying the game but couldn't get the puck by Adin Hill. Now, Vegas can win the Stanley Cup in front of its home crowd in Game 5.
There was a mad scramble in front of the Vegas net, and the Panthers came verrryyyy close to tying this game. Adin Hill sprawled out and kept the puck out of the net, but these last nine minutes might be a wild ride for the Golden Knights.
We have a one-goal game with over 16 minutes remaining in the third period. Aleksander Barkov fires a one-timer past Adin Hill, and the Golden Knights are suddenly on very shaky ground. FLA Live Arena is alive with a lot of time left.
Jack Eichel has returned to the Vegas bench after missing the start of the third period. Golden Knights fans have to be breathing a sigh of relief knowing their most important player is back in action.
The third period has begun, and Jack Eichel is not on the Golden Knights' bench after taking a puck to the head late in the second period. We'll see whether that injury turns the tide in Game 4.
Through the first two periods, the Golden Knights have a wide edge in scoring chances (29-15) and high-danger scoring chances (10-7), per Natural Stat Trick. The Panthers better be saving their best for last in this game or they will be in big trouble. Vegas is rolling right now.
That period was incredibly one-sided. The Golden Knights took the game to the Panthers, and they were rewarded with a pair of goals from Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson. The Panthers did get a couple of lucky bounces for their first goal of the game, and now they have a pulse going into the third period.
The Panthers get a bounce and some life. Brandon Montour lets a shot fly from the right boards, and it pinballs off two Golden Knights and into the net. Florida got some help from the hockey gods and needs to take advantage of it.
Nic Hague gets a shot through traffic, and the rebound popped right out to William Karlsson. Sergei Bobrovsky couldn't immediately find the rebound, and Karlsson put his shot off Bob and into th eback of the net. This second period has been a disaster for Florida.
The Chandler Stephenson redemption tour continues. This time, Mark Stone enters the zone down the left-wing side and finds Stephenson with a perfect pass into the middle of the ice. From there, Stephenson ripped a shot over Bobrovsky to double the lead.
Florida is able to hang on and get the penalty killed. The Panthers' special teams haven't been great in this series, but that was a huge kill to keep the deficit at just one.
Marc Staal gets called for tripping, and the Golden Knights will get the first power play of the game. Staal is livid because Mark Stone slashed the stick out of Staal's hands just seconds before without a call. Regardless, Vegas is on the man advantage.
The second period is underway with Vegas leading, 1-0. Florida needs to be much better than it was in the first period to avoid falling into a 3-1 series hole.
Chandler Stephenson was on the ice for three goals against in Game 3, and he immediately redeemed himself with a goal just 1:39 into Game 4. That was his ninth goal of the playoffs, and even though his underlying numbers have been far from perfect, Stephenson has found ways to keep his name on the scoresheet. If Stephenson can get rolling in every aspect of his game, it will be difficult for the Panthers to come back in this series.
Chandler Stephenson opened the scoring just 1:39 into Game 4 after the Panthers chose an unwise time to go for a line change. Despite letting in that early goal, Sergei Bobrovsky was excellent in the first period, and Adin Hill did his part to keep Florida off the board in the face of some quality scoring chances.
Adin Hill looks like he's on his game early. Brandon Montour put a shot into traffic that got blocked down before it got to Hill, and the puck was loose in the slot. Matthew Tkachuk found it first, but Hill slid across to make a huge save and keep his team in the lead.
Chandler Stephenson has had a tough postseason, but he broke out in a big way less than two minutes into Game 4. The Panthers executed a poorly-timed line change, and Stephenson slid the puck through Sergei Bobrovsky's legs to give Vegas an early lead.
Game 4 between the Panthers and Golden Knights is underway. Regardless of which team wins this game, there will be a huge momentum shift in the series. Buckle up for an intense battle featuring two desperate teams.
Jack Eichel hasn't scored in his last 10 games, but he has still be a huge factor in the Golden Knights' offense. Vegas controls play when Eichel is on the ice, and he has been phenomenal at distributing the puck. He still has 10 assists during his scoring drought, and he leads all playoff performers with 17 assists on the postseason. Will tonight be the night he lights the lamp?
The result of tonight's game will provide a massive swing in each team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup. Florida could level the series at 2-2 and create more of a toss-up, or Vegas could win and take a vice grip on the series. Throughout NHL history, teams that are up 3-1 in a playoff series go on to win 90.5% of the time, so the Panthers would really be on the ropes with a loss tonight.
The trio of Brett Howden, Mark Stone, and Chandler Stephenson struggled mightily in Game 3. With those three on the ice together, the Golden Knights got outshot and out-chanced by a wide margin, and they surrendered three goals. That line needs a strong response tonight, and Stone especially has shown that he can take over games in these playoffs.
The Golden Knights have made a habit of bouncing back from losses in this postseason. They are 4-1 following a loss in the playoffs, and Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault have led that charge. Those two have both tallied three goals and five assists in those five games after losses. If they play like that tonight, Vegas will be traveling home with a 3-1 series lead.
Jonathan Marchessault is on a heater, and he just gets warmer with each passing game. He has now scored at least one goal in each of his last four games, and he is riding an eight-game point streak. In that span, Marchessault has totaled eight goals and five assists for 13 points. If the Golden Knights can finish this series, he will get serious consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Sergei Bobrovsky was abysmal in the first two games of this series. He stopped just 82.6% of the shots he faced and allowed 2.57 goals above average, according to Natural Stat Trick. Bobrovsky was much better at home in Game 3. He posted a .926 save percentage, and he saved 0.70 goals above average. It was the first time in this series that Bobrovsky outplayed Adin Hill, and we'll see if he can do it again tonight.
Florida has the chance to tie the series after looking completely listless in Las Vegas. The last team to tie the Stanley Cup Final at home after dropping the first two games on the road was the Nashville Predators. They got shelled in Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins before dominating both Games 3 and 4 at home. The Panthers will try to follow that blueprint as they try to put the pressure back on the Golden Knights in Game 5.
