logo
Vegas Information
Golden Knights can lift Stanley Cup with win against Florida Panthers | Las Vegas Review-Journal
Golden Knights can lift Stanley Cup with win against Florida Panthers | Las Vegas Review-Journal


Vegas Golden Knights mascot Chance the Golden Gila Monster flies a flag as DJ Steve Aoki performs outside T-Mobile Arena, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, before the Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Golden Knights against the Florida Panthers, in Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chitosephoto
The Vegas Belles parade toward T-Mobile Arena before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt
Golden Knights fan Lincoln Utrecht, 7, center, throws confetti in the air before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt
DJ Steve Aoki performs for the Golden Knights fans outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Golden Knights fan Jourdan Lasko of Henderson with her homemade trophy with other fans outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
A Golden Knights fan holds up a Stanley Cup-shaped beer before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt
A Golden Knights records the passing parade before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt
People cheer as DJ Steve Aoki performs outside T-Mobile Arena, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, before the Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Golden Knights against the Florida Panthers, in Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chitosephoto
Fans listen to music and get pumped up outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
The Blue Man Group shoot streamers about the Golden Knights fans enjoying the music outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Golden Knights DJ Michael Toast gets the fans pumped up outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Golden Knights fan Jourdan Lasko of Henderson with her homemade trophy outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Golden Knights fans are covered in streamers outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
DJ Steve Aoki performs for the Golden Knights fans outside before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

There are 3,489 names engraved on the 3-foot, 35-pound silver chalice Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the 14th Earl of Derby, once gave out to the Canada’s top amateur team.

The Golden Knights can add a few more Tuesday night.

The Stanley Cup will be in the building for Game 5 of the Knights’ series with the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena, with a chance for a trophy ceremony at night’s end. The Panthers, down 3-1 in the series, will be eliminated with a loss.

The Knights, in their sixth season as a franchise, can finish off their first championship in front of their home fans and etch themselves into hockey history.

“We’re aware of what’s at stake and how big a game this is for guys as individuals, the organization, the city, all those things,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “But it’s what we play for, so we’re ready for it.”

Defenseman Alec Martinez, a two-time Cup winner, said it’s only human for the Knights’ minds to wander knowing what one more win could mean.

The key is to fight that. Stay present and focus on what needs to happen period by period, shift by shift to defeat Florida one last time.

It’s not like the last two games have been easy for the Knights. The Panthers rallied for a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 and suffered a narrow 3-2 loss in Game 4.

Florida has also found a way out of difficult situations before. It overcame a 3-1 deficit earlier this postseason in the first round against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins.

“It’s never over until it’s over,” right wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “They’re a desperate team. They’ve been resilient in a lot of games. It’s going to be a hard task for us.”

The Panthers will try to stage another series comeback with whatever fight they can muster.

What they have left in the tank remains to be seen. Leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk didn’t play for more than a 10-minute stretch in the third period of Game 4. Tkachuk appeared to suffer an injury after taking a hard hit from right wing Keegan Kolesar in Game 3 and didn’t practice Monday. Florida coach Paul Maurice wouldn’t reveal Tkachuk’s status for Game 5.

Top-line right wing Anthony Duclair also didn’t play the first eight minutes of the third period in Game 4 for undisclosed reasons, and captain Aleksander Barkov’s ice time was limited in the first after he suffered a lower-body injury in the third round.

Both practiced Monday. Whether either is close to 100 percent is a different question.

“You draw on your routine from the last time, your last experience with it,” Maurice said of trailing 3-1. “There is in some ways an advantage to the team at times that’s down 3-1 in terms of the freedom mentally that it can play with. At the same time, you’re down 3-1 for a reason so clearly the other team has been good. But we have some experience with this, and we’ll draw on it.”

The Knights have knowledge of their own they can lean on as well.

They have six former Cup winners in their locker room. They have six original members of the team who witnessed the trophy getting handed out to another team at T-Mobile Arena in 2018. This group’s focus and determination starts with them.

The players all want to experience the euphoria of victory in front of their home fans. They know the building will be rocking like never before. It’s on them to focus, finish the job and get hockey’s hallowed hardware out of its case.

“If you can’t buy into tomorrow’s game, it’d be tough to buy into any game,” goaltender Adin Hill said. “It’s just sticking to the game plan and what’s made us successful all season. If we do that, we’ll win.”

Knights at Panthers, Game 5 (5 p.m.)

TV: TNT, truTV

Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)

Line: Knights -178, total 5½

Knights’ projected lineup:

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Jonathan Marchessault

Reilly Smith — William Karlsson — Nicolas Roy

Michael Amadio — Chandler Stephenson — Mark Stone

William Carrier — Brett Howden — Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez — Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore

Nic Hague — Zach Whitecloud

Panthers’ projected lineup:

Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Anthony Duclair

Nick Cousins — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk

Ryan Lomberg — Anton Lundell — Sam Reinhart

Colin White — Eric Staal — Zac Dalpe

Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad

Marc Staal — Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura — Radko Gudas

This content was originally published here.










©2024 VEGAS INFORMATION • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED