Comeback falls short and the Panthers fall into 3-1 hole to Vegas in Stanley Cup Final
SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers have spent almost all year on the edge of destruction.
After a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday in Sunrise, they face their stiffest challenge yet.
The Panthers are down 3-1 to the Golden Knights in the series and now need three straight wins to complete their miracle Stanley Cup run.
They believe they can do it because of the nine-point hole they erased after Christmas just to make the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs and the 3-1 hole they rallied from against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins in Round 1.
A comeback now, though, would be nearly unprecedented. History is stacked against Florida. Only one team has ever rallied from down 3-1 in the series to win the Stanley Cup Final – the Maple Leafs, way back in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final – and the Panthers would have to get two of those three wins in Las Vegas, starting with Game 5 on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
Any of the momentum the Panthers captured with their third-period comeback and overtime win in Game 3 is gone after another loss to the Golden Knights and now Matthew Tkachuk might be, too.
The superstar right wing only played four shifts in the third period, clearly fighting some kind of upper-body injury after he missed nearly a full period of Game 3 following a crunching hit by Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar.
With Tkachuk ailing, centers Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell, and star defenseman Brandon Montour tried to hoist Florida to victory and could only do so much.
Those three teamed up for both of the Panthers’ second-half goals, but the 3-0 hole Florida dug in the first 31:04 was too much to overcome.
Vegas scored just 99 seconds into Game 4, and Florida never seriously threatened the Golden Knights until the third period.
Versatile All-Star forward Chandler Stephenson scored his second goal of the game with 12:32 left in the second period to give Vegas a 2-0 lead and Golden Knights forward William Karlsson scored just 3:32 later to make it 3-0 with 8:56 left in the period. Vegas executed exactly the blueprint it wants.
The Golden Knights blocked 29 shots and countered the Panthers’ high-possession game by getting out in transition and capitalizing on Florida’s mistakes.
Stephenson’s first goal came on a breakaway off a poorly executed line change and his second came on a one-timer after the Panthers lost track of him in the slot.
Florida’s 3-0 deficit – caused when Karlsson scored on a scramble around star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky – proved insurmountable for the Panthers, who haven’t erased a three-goal lead in the entire 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Even Florida’s first goal was a fluke, as a centering pass by Montour pinballed off Vegas defensemen Brayden McNab and Shea Theodore, and past Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill to cut Vegas’ lead to 3-1.
The fortunate bounces kept Florida within striking distance at the start of the third period and brought the sold-out crowd at FLA Live Arena back to life and a goal by Barkov with 16:10 left – a one-timer off an assist by Montour – gave the Panthers a real chance to complete yet another comeback, only they could never find the third one despite 11 third-period shots.
The Panthers’ three losses in the series have come by nine combined goals and their lone win required overtime, as well as a game-tying goal with just 2:13 left in the third period and 17.4 seconds of a 6-on-4 advantage to end the game.
Their margin for error is thin, as it as been all throughout these Stanley Cup playoffs – each of their last 12 wins has come by one or two goals.
The Golden Knights’ advantage is now enormous, with three chances to win one game to hoist their first Cup. Florida’s run has been unbelievable, historic and perhaps even franchise-altering, but the Panthers are down to their last life.