Morning Skate Report: June 3, 2023
Golden Knights begin Stanley Cup Final against Panthers
By
Caylee Allard
VegasGoldenKnights.com
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: TNT, TBS, truTV
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
VGK Today: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud
TRAFFIC UPDATE
The Nevada Department of Transportation's I-15 Tropicana Project will have a major impact on many fans' travel to games at T-Mobile Arena. Road, ramp and lane closures will change throughout the two-and-a-half year project. The Vegas Golden Knights encourage fans to arrive early and stay late for games, but with some closures fans' typical routes to the arena will not be available. Please visit vgk.io/i15Trop for more information. Fans can also use traffic mobile apps like Waze which will be updated with road and ramp closures.
FAN ACTIVATIONS
GRAMMY-nominated artist and producer Marshmello will perform for fans on Toshiba Plaza, located outside of T-Mobile Arena, on Saturday starting at 2:45 p.m. PT. The concert will be free, and no ticket will be required to view the performance on Saturday. Doors to T-Mobile Arena will open at 3:30 p.m. PT for fans with tickets to the game.
In addition to Saturday's live performance, local tattoo artist Joey Hamilton from Revolt Tattoos will return outside T-Mobile Arena before Game 1 and Game 2 offering free permanent or temporary tattoos of the team's logo. Skywriting above T-Mobile Arena will provide custom messages for fans to view while waiting for puck drop. The Golden Knights will also host viewing parties on Toshiba Plaza for fans without tickets to the games. Activations outside T-Mobile Arena will officially start at 2 p.m. PT.
Gold battle towels will be placed on individual seats inside T-Mobile Arena for Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Those with a ticket to the game are encouraged to download the Stadium FX mobile application on their iPhone or Android device to become part of the team's immersive experience during the pregame show. Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final is presented by Credit One Bank.
SERIES PREVIEW
The Golden Knights finished the regular season as Pacific Division Champions and atop the Western Conference with a 51-22-9 record and 111 points. The Florida Panthers finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 42-32-8 record and 92 points. This is Florida's first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1996 and Vegas' second trip since the 2017-2018 inaugural season. The Golden Knights went 1-1 against the Panthers during the regular season and are 6-3-1 against Florida all-time.
HOW VEGAS GOT HERE
The Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in Round 1. After losing Game 1, Vegas won four straight to clinch the series. Mark Stone led the team with 8 points (3G, 5A). Goaltender Laurent Brossoit shined with a 2.42 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
The Golden Knights took down the Edmonton Oilers in six games in Round 2. After a back-and-forth series that went 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, then 3-2, Vegas was able to get it done in six in enemy territory. Eichel was Vegas' points leader with 9 (3G, 6A). After Brossoit suffered an injury in the first period of Game 3, Adin Hill stepped in and finished out the series with a 2.19 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
The Golden Knights ousted the Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final. They took a 3-0 series lead, then lost two in a row as Dallas forced a Game 6. Vegas dominated in a 6-0 shutout win in Game 6, which crowned them the Western Conference Champions. Jonathan Marchessault led the way with 7 points (4G, 3A). Hill recorded shutouts in Game 3 and Game 6 and finished with a 1.99 GAA and a .939 save percentage.
HOW FLORIDA GOT HERE
The Panthers took down the Presidents' Trophy winner Boston Bruins in Game 7 overtime in Round 1. The Bruins went up 3-1 in the series, but Florida won three straight to eliminate Boston from their historic run. Matthew Tkachuk led the club in points with 11 (5G, 6A). Sergei Bobrovsky notched a 3.94 GAA and a .891 save percentage.
In Round 2, the Panthers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. Florida went up 3-0 and Toronto only managed to win Game 4. Aaron Ekblad (1G, 4A) tied Tkachuk (5A) for points leader, each with 5. Bobrovsky finished the series with a 1.89 GAA and a .943 save percentage.
The Panthers went on to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 1 went to quadruple overtime, which was the longest game in history for both franchises. Tkachuk was once again the team's leader in points with 5 (4G, 1A) including three game-winning goals. Bobrovsky put up a 1.12 GAA and a .966 save percentage in the series.
SEASON SERIES
On Jan. 12, the Golden Knights defeated the Panthers, 4-2, at T-Mobile Arena. Nick Cousins opened the scoring for Florida two minutes into the first period. In the second, Nicolas Roy tied the game, 1-1. Sam Reinhart then scored a power-play goal to regain the lead, 2-1. In the third period, Vegas scored three unanswered goals from Jack Eichel, William Carrier and William Karlsson to seal the 4-2 victory.
The Panthers won the second meeting of the season, 2-1, on March 7 at FLA Live Arena. Ryan Lomberg scored four minutes into the first to make it 1-0 Panthers. In the middle frame, Aleksander Barkov extended Florida's lead to 2-0. Shea Theodore then scored Vegas' first and only goal of the game on the power play to make it a 2-1 final score.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Misfit magic: The 'Misfit' trio of Jonathan Marchessault (9G, 8A), William Karlsson (10G, 4A) and Reilly Smith (2G, 9A) have been firing on all cylinders in the postseason. These three were a huge part of the 2017-2018 inaugural season team that also went to the Stanley Cup Final. They have been here before and they want to win. This group will be a huge storyline throughout this series as they look to finish what they started six years ago.
Defend The Fortress: Vegas has home ice advantage for the Stanley Cup Final just as they have all throughout this year's playoff run. The energy of the building will be reminiscent of the inaugural season for Golden Knights fans, so they are sure to rock the house. The Golden Knights should take advantage of the atmosphere and try to get a leg up on the series by winning at home before making the long trek to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
