The road to the Stanley Cup Final certainly had its twists and turns this year.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Final officially begins on Saturday night, with the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights set to duke it out for the NHL’s top prize. For the first time since the St. Louis Blues won in 2019, the NHL will see a first-time Stanley Cup winner when either the Panthers or Golden Knights emerge victorious by series’ end.
Though the playoffs did not play out in the way many expected them to, the Panthers and Golden Knights are no less deserving of being here. After all, the Panthers took down the NHL’s best regular season team ever in a seven-game series to open the postseason. An unconventional Stanley Cup Final this may be, but the Panthers and Golden Knights fought hard to get here at the precipice of greatness.
So, before the main event, let’s predict which team will win the 2023 Stanley Cup Final!
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Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights in six
The Panthers last played a game on May 24, while the Golden Knights finished their series five days later on May 29. Both teams have had a good while to rest and recuperate, but there is such a thing as too much rest, especially heading into the most important few weeks of the season.
For the last handful of months, the Panthers had been playing for their playoff lives, barely squeaking into the postseason thanks to an incredibly fortunate Penguins loss. Florida has been playing do-or-die hockey for months now, and it’s part of the reason why their scrappy attitude has kept them in it for so long. But with such a long time between games — 11 days, to be precise — will the Panthers have lost their belligerent edge?
It’s certainly something to keep an eye out for, at least, especially if the Panthers lose Game 1 for the first time since the opening round. That being said, the Panthers have outlasted every prediction to date, so they are a true wild card here in this scenario. If goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky continues to play lights out as the clear Conn Smythe favorite, there’s probably no stopping this Panthers team.
We all know that Matthew Tkachuk is clutch incarnate, so the Golden Knights’ defense will have their hands full keeping him under wraps. The Panthers have no shortage of scorers, but Tkachuk is the driving force behind Florida’s incredible momentum without a doubt.
Still, the Golden Knights are no slouches here in this regard. Jack Eichel is thriving in his first-ever playoff action. Mark Stone is having a huge impact coming off injury. And William Karlsson has nearly reached his regular season goal total (14) with 10 goals in 17 playoff games.
Facing Bobrovsky at the other end is Adin Hill, who has had a remarkable run of his own in these playoffs after stepping in for an injured Laurent Brossoit. The goaltender battle in this Stanley Cup Final will be the one to watch, as the first netminder that blinks will likely be the deciding factor when it all comes down to it.
Personally, I think the Golden Knights win the series — and the Stanley Cup — due to their overall team depth and the rust factor working against the Panthers. Still, the 2023 Stanley Cup Final is shaping up to be quite the exciting one with these two explosive teams leading the way!
