It is the most exciting time in hockey, as the Stanley Cup Finals are about to begin. After a grueling season and a month of hard-fought playoff hockey, two teams remain in contention for Lord Stanley’s Cup. So who are these two teams and how do they match up against each other?
Florida Panthers
If you said the Panthers would be in the Stanley Cup Finals back in April, people would’ve thought you were crazy. The team barely snuck into the playoffs, was the worst team based on points, and was going up against the Boston Bruins. The team that just had the best regular season in NHL history. Everyone thought the Bruins wouldn’t have any issues getting past the Panthers. And things seemed to be going that way as the Bruins had a 3-1 series lead.
However, the Panthers were able to do the impossible. They won game six, then pulled off a miracle as less than a minute away from elimination, Brandon Montour was able to find the back of the net sending the game to overtime, where the Panthers would win the game and the series. After this historic upset, the Panthers made quick work of the rest of their opponents only losing one game in the next two rounds.
The biggest contributor to the Panthers’ success has been the play of their goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Reaffirming the old saying, all you need is a hot goaltender. This playoff Bobrovsky has a .935 save percentage, 471 saves, and a 2.21 goal against average. His play has been a surprise but a very welcome one to any Panthers fan.
However, Bobrosvksy isn’t the only reason the Panthers have made it this far. The way of Matthew Tkachuk has been better than advertised in this playoff. So far this postseason, Tkachuk has 9 goals and 12 assists, giving him 21 points. His play has been exactly what the Panthers have needed and has given this forward core the spark it has needed.
Vegas Golden Knights
The story of the greatest expansion franchise in sports continues to grow as the Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Finals. This is their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history, which is pretty impressive considering that they have only been in the league for 6 years. This is a historic streak and something every non-Golden Knight fan should be jealous of.
However even though the Golden Knights have known nothing but success, things didn’t seem to be going well at the end of last year. The Knights had just choked away a spot in the playoff, and for the first time in franchise history failed to make the playoffs. The future didn’t look bright for the Knights. However, they showed that last year was just a fluke. They won their division and had the most points in the Western Conference. After a few hard-fought series against the Jets, Oilers, and Stars, the Knights are finally back in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The reason Vegas has made it this far has been because of their well-balanced offensive attack. Over the course of the playoffs, the Golden Knights have seven players who have over 10 points. This is better than everyone can ask for. Having a spread-out offensive like that makes it next to impossible to defend. Everyone can make an impact and you don’t have to worry about line changes. If everyone is producing, then you can even make line changes, because you won’t be losing offensive production.
Even though the offense has been spread out Jack Eichel has been leading the way. During the playoffs Eichel has 6 goals and 12 assists, giving him 18 points. This is why the Knights traded for him last year, despite the injury risk. They needed a guy who when the lights were brightest was going to put this team on his back. Eichel has shown that he is that type of player.
Who’s Going to Win the Series?
Both of these teams have a legitimate shot to win the series. It’s not one of those series where there is a clear favorite, it’s a very even series. However, with that being said, the Panthers are going to win this series in 6 games. Yes, the Golden Knights have a very hard offensive to defend against. However, it’s a bad idea to go against a team with a hot goaltender. As mentioned earlier all you need is a hot goaltender to be successful. The Panthers also have this team of destiny vibes around them, especially after beating the Bruins. Everything is pointing towards the Panther winning this series. But that’s just a prediction, we won’t know for sure until the puck is dropped Saturday night.
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