The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from winning their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after claiming a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
The Golden Knights, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, will look to clinch the championship Tuesday at home.
Chandler Stephenson scored twice, while William Karlsson tallied once for the Golden Knights, who rebounded from a disappointing overtime loss last outing. Goaltender Adin Hill made 29 saves, including a clutch stop in the final seconds.
Captain Mark Stone added two assists.
Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov both collected one goal and one assist for the Panthers, who have been a Cinderella squad since earning the final playoff spot. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots in another strong performance that gave his team a chance for a comeback.
Stephenson sent the Golden Knights off and running to a 3-0 lead when he converted a breakaway 99 seconds into the game.
He notched his second goal of the game, and 10th of the playoffs, at 7:28 of the second period by snapping a long shot from the high slot.
Karlsson made it a three-goal edge at 11:04 of the frame when he pounced on a long rebound for his 11th goal of the playoffs.
The Panthers needed a break to stay in the game and received it when Montour notched his eighth goal of the playoffs with 3:51 remaining in the second period. His long shot banked off two defenders and into the net.
Barkov netted his first goal of the series at 3:50 of the third period, a one-timer set up by Montour, to make it a one-goal game.
The Panthers, who won Game 3 with a late game-tying goal and overtime goal, couldn’t duplicate that feat despite a frantic late push, including a power play with 17.4 seconds remaining in regulation after Alex Pietrangelo put the puck over the glass from his own net.
Although he did not leave the game, Florida’s top goal scorer and point producer, Matthew Tkachuk, saw limited action in the third period, on the ice for only four shifts. He appeared to wince whenever he saw body contact.
–Field Level Media
