Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 54: Stephenson strikes twice to push Vegas within one win

Chandler Stephenson would really, really like to win his second Stanley Cup.

At least, that’s how it looked on Saturday. Stephenson scored twice, including just 1:39 into the first period, to propel the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3–2 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

William Karlsson also scored for Vegas, which took a commanding 3–1 series lead with the victory. The series will now shift back to T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on Tuesday for Game 5, in which Vegas can clinch a championship on home ice.

Stephenson, of course, won his first Stanley Cup against the Golden Knights as a member of the Washington Capitals back in 2018. He was more of a bit part back then, scoring six goals in the regular season and two in the playoffs to help the Capitals win their first-ever title.

This time around, Stephenson is more than proving his worth as a top-six center on a Golden Knights team that hasn’t really slowed down through 21 playoff games. After his two-goal performance on Saturday, the 29-year-old forward has 10 goals and 19 points in 21 postseason contests this year.

Game 4 certainly wasn’t without intrigue, with Florida aiming to even the series in the wake of a come-from-behind victory two days earlier. With Vegas leading 3–0 late in the second period, Brandon Montour got the home side on the board with a seeing-eye shot that bounced off two Knights defenders before sailing past Adin Hill.

Then, with 16:10 remaining in regulation, Montour set up Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov to make it a one-goal game at a critical juncture. Anton Lundell picked up the secondary assist on Barkov’s first goal of the Final.

It was as close as the Cats would get. They now trail the series 3–1, exactly as they did in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Boston Bruins.

But the fourth win is always the hardest, especially in the Stanley Cup Final. This Golden Knights team boasts multiple players who have been at this point before, including Stephenson, Alex Pietrangelo, Ivan Barbashev, Alec Martinez, and reserve players Phil Kessel and Jonathan Quick.

Game 5 between the Panthers and Golden Knights is slated to take place at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET.