(WGR 550) - Before the Vegas Golden Knights were even a team out on the ice and playing NHL hockey, team owner Bill Foley made the bold prediction that it would take six years for his organization to win a Stanley Cup.
In Year 6 of the franchise's young history, after missing out on the Stanley Cup in the organization's first year of existence in 2018, the Golden Knights ended up coming through on their owner's prediction to be crowned champions of hockey.
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Vegas made things look relatively this postseason with series wins over the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars to reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they ended up taking care of the Florida Panthers in just five games.
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How did the Golden Knights earn the right to etch their names into the Stanley Cup in 2023? Let's take a look back at the Stanley Cup Final action that took place:
Golden Knights outlast Panthers, 4-1
The biggest difference for the Golden Knights in their Stanley Cup Final win over the Panthers ended up being depth. Vegas was able to bolster a deeper roster of talent, and one that was able to stay relatively healthy throughout the majority of the postseason.
In fact, the Golden Knights were able to roll out the same lineup in all five games against the Panthers without missing a single step to glory. Some of the notable players that didn't even suit up for the Stanley Cup Final for Vegas included Phil Kessel, Teddy Blueger, Paul Cotter and Jonathan Quick.
Their leading producer in the series was their captain Mark Stone, as he finished the five games with five goals and four assists for nine points. This included a Game 5 hat-trick for the Golden Knights to help seal the deal, the first three-goal performance in a Stanley Cup Final game since Hall-of-Famer Peter Forsberg did so for the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 against, coincidentally, the Panthers.
Right behind Stone were Jack Eichel and Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault, who both posted eight points in their five games against the Panthers. While Eichel was busy in the assist department with eight, Marchessault continued to play at his playoff MVP rate with four goals and four assists in the series.
As it turns out, Eichel finished the playoffs leading the league in points with 26 (6+20) in 22 games played. Right behind him was Marchessault, who put up 25 points (13+12) in his 22 games played for Vegas.
Leading the way in goal for the Golden Knights was Adin Hill, who helped stabilize Vegas when he made his first appearance in Round 2 of the playoffs against the Oilers. He finished his postseason with an 11-4 record in 16 games played with a 2.17 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
Hill was lights out in the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-1 record, a 2.36 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage to help the Golden Knights keep the Panthers' high-flying offense at bay.
Overall, the Vegas offense was cooking all postseason, including the Final, where the team scored 26 goals, averaged 30.4 shots per-game, and went 31.6% on their power play chances.
While Florida did manage to outshoot the Golden Knights with an average of 31.0 shots per-game, its offensive scoring went completely cold with just 12 goals in the series, and went 0-for on the power play.
Meanwhile, the Panthers were ravaged with injuries over the course of the playoffs, but none were more impactful than the one to Matthew Tkachuk in the Stanley Cup Final.
Tkachuk ended up suffering a broken sternum in Game 3 of the series after taking a thunderous hit from Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar. While he remained in that contest and played Game 4 in Florida, Tkachuk was greatly impacted by the injury, enough so to keep him from playing a do-or-die Game 5 back in Vegas.
When their magical run came to an end, Tkachuk still ended up being Florida's leading scorer with 24 points (11+13) in 20 games played, including three overtime game-winning goals that tied a Stanley Cup Playoffs record.
Other players - that we know of - that dealt with significant injuries over the course of the playoffs for the Panthers included:
- Defenseman Aaron Ekblad playing on a broken foot, playing with a torn oblique muscle, and having his shoulder dislocated twice.
- Defenseman Radko Gudas playing with a high ankle sprain.
- Forward Eetu Luostarinen missed the entirety of the Final due to an injury suffered in the Eastern Conference Final.
Head coach Paul Maurice revealed after the series was over that other players had suffered injuries, including bone fractures of all kinds.
While Sergei Bobrovsky was absolutely unbeatable in net for the Panthers since the opening round against the Boston Bruins, like the rest of his teammates in front of him, the magic ran out in the Stanley Cup Final.
In the five games he played in the Final, Bobrovsky went 1-4 with a 4.70 goals-against average and an .844 save percentage. This after posting an 11-2 record, a 2.21 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage and one shutout in the first three rounds of the playoffs.
Had the Panthers remained healthy in the Final, perhaps they could have made the series a more competitive one, seeing them take the Golden Knights to maybe six or seven games. In the end, the magic tank ran empty, with the final remaining fumes being exhausted in the final moments of a Game 4 loss in Florida.
