Golden Knights survive Panthers comeback in Game 4

Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Golden Knights survive Panthers comeback in wild ending to Game 4

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 6/10/23

The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time.

In Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday, the team survived a furious Florida Panthers' comeback, holding on for a 3-2 victory.

Trailing 3-0 in the second period, the Panthers had trimmed the Golden Knights' lead to only a goal in the third, with a chance to tie it up on the power-play with 17.4 seconds left following a delay-of-game penalty on Vegas defender Alex Pietrangelo.

After a scrum in front of the Vegas net, Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill made a remarkable pad save on Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk as the buzzer sounded, sealing the victory.

Quite a few bottles thrown onto the ice after Adin Hill kept the puck out of the net at the end of regulation#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/jpiNt2j3zr
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) June 11, 2023

The battle on the ice continued following the final whistle. As fans tossed bottles and rats onto the ice, the Golden Knights and Panthers scrapped until referees and cooler heads prevailed.

After watching a lead evaporate in a Game 3 overtime loss to Florida, Vegas learned its lesson in Game 4 and is now 60 minutes away from the ultimate prize.

Chandler Stephenson helped Vegas get out to a good start in Game 4, notching goals in the first and second periods. After a William Karlsson goal made it 3-0 Golden Knights in the second, the Panthers responded with a Brandon Montour score, cutting the deficit to two goals at the second-period intermission.

Aleksander Barkov scored nearly four minutes into the third, making it 3-2, but the Panthers couldn't find the equalizer.

wanna see Chandler Stephenson score a goal? wanna see him do it again? pic.twitter.com/qFcNZYdfCF
— z - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 11, 2023

For the Panthers, their season is now on the brink. However, they have already overcome one 3-1 mountain, stunning the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This time, the task is much more formidable, especially heading back to Vegas for Game 5.

Meanwhile, Vegas returns home looking to clinch the series and the Stanley Cup. If the Golden Knights can finish the job, they'll become one of the fastest expansion teams to win a title in professional sports history.

The Golden Knights will host the Panthers for Game 5 Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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