2023 Stanley Cup Final vs Florida Panthers
Vegas Golden Knights win their first Stanley Cup in 2023, defeating the Florida Panthers 4–1.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2022–23 season and the culmination of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers four games to one in the best-of-seven series to earn their first championship in their sixth season. Vegas had home ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record.
Quick Facts
- Key goaltender
- Adin Hill
- Team captain
- Mark Stone
- Notable record
- Second Stanley Cup Final appearance by Vegas (first since 2018)
Lore & Background
This was Vegas' second Final appearance. Their only previous appearance was in 2018, which they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games. The Golden Knights experienced immediate success after beginning play in 2017, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season and qualifying for the playoffs in their first four. However, they missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history the previous season, which led to the firing of head coach Peter DeBoer. During the offseason, the Golden Knights hired former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy as their head coach. They also acquired goaltender Adin Hill in a trade, re-signed Brett Howden, Reilly Smith, Keegan Kolesar, and Nicolas Roy, and also signed Phil Kessel, a two-time Stanley Cup champion during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, during free agency. At the trade deadline, the Golden Knights acquired forwards Ivan Barbashev (reuniting him with Alex Pietrangelo from the 2019 Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues) and Teddy Blueger, as well as goaltender Jonathan Quick who was flipped by the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Los Angeles Kings (reuniting him with defenceman Alec Martinez, both two-time Stanley Cup champions with the Kings). The Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference with 111 points via a record. Vegas defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games during the first round, triumphed over the Edmonton Oilers during the second round in six games, and knocked off the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final in six games.
Reader's Guide
The series began on June 3, and concluded on June 13. This was the first Final series since 2018 in which neither team had previously won the Stanley Cup. For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Final ran through the first weeks of June. Game one: Florida began the scoring with a shorthanded goal by Eric Staal. Vegas tied the game on a power play with Chandler Stephenson setting up Jonathan Marchessault's wrist shot. Shea Theodore's long range shot gave Vegas a 2–1 lead. Anthony Duclair tied it 2–2. Zach Whitecloud scored for Vegas to make it 3–2. Mark Stone shot past Bobrovsky for a 4–2 lead. Reilly Smith sealed Vegas' victory with an empty net goal to make it 5–2. Game two: Jonathan Marchessault scored on the power play. Alec Martinez shot for a 2–0 lead. Nicolas Roy gave Vegas a 3–0 lead. Brett Howden forced Florida to swap Bobrovsky for Alex Lyon. Anton Lundell ended Adin Hill's shutout bid. Marchessault scored again. Michael Amadio provided the sixth goal. Tkachuk scored. Howden's second goal made it 7–2 final. Game three: Brandon Montour began the scoring. Mark Stone tied it on a power play. Marchessault gave Vegas a 2–1 lead. Matthew Tkachuk tied it 2–2. Carter Verhaeghe scored in overtime for Florida's 3–2 win. Game four: Chandler Stephenson scored 1:39 into the first period. Stephenson scored again in the second. William Karlsson made it 3–0. Brandon Montour cut the lead to two. Aleksander Barkov cut it to one. Vegas maintained a 3–2 lead.
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