Stanley Cup Final: The beginner's guide to Panthers vs. Golden Knights National News

Mar 7, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save during the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

We're nearing the end of the long, grueling road that is the Stanley Cup playoffs, and after three rounds and nearly two months, the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights are the two teams left standing. That matchup might seem surprising to those of you who don't follow hockey all that closely, but, trust me, it's probably more surprising to those of us who do.

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Yeah, it's been a weird, chaotic, stunning journey to get to this point, so if you haven't been paying attention, you’ve missed quite a bit. Thankfully, not only is there still time to hop on board this unhinged ride and catch its conclusion, but I’ll also do my best to bring you up to speed on what you've missed.

The Florida (expletive) Panthers, huh? No longer the butt of the joke, the Panthers and their fans — yes, they do exist, you haters — have become the belle of the ball during a magical and almost inconceivable run to the Cup Final this spring.

So how did it happen?

The short of it: Magic beans or something. I don't really know.

This Panthers run wasn't foreseen by anyone, and it still only slightly makes sense after sitting with it for a while. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to your face or doing their best to twist history.

After winning the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team last season, the Panthers experienced quite a bit of regression this season and barely snuck into the playoffs as an eight seed. They rode a hot goalie, Alex Lyon, and won six of their final eight games (while also getting some help from the failures of competing wild card hopefuls) to snag the East's final postseason spot.

Almost nobody picked them to get out of the first round, and it looked like they'd be an easy out when they kicked off this run by falling into a 3-1 series hole against the Boston Bruins. By then, they were completely written off, especially considering the Bruins finished the regular season as the greatest 82-game team in league history. Not recent history, but league history. The best regular season team in the 100-plus year history of the NHL.

Against all odds, though, the Cats scratched and clawed their way back, all the way to Game 7 in Boston where they pulled off some incredible dramatics — tying the game in the final minute of regulation before cementing the greatest upset ever in overtime.

"Verhaeghe WINS THE SERIES FOR FLORIDA! And this joyride ends in a Hindenburg-like ending." - Bruins announcer Jack Edwards pic.twitter.com/PTqCNx7WZz

In the second round, the Panthers met the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it was the real start of the Sergei Bobrovsky show in net. Bobrovsky, Florida's $10 million goalie who started the playoffs as a backup, began establishing himself as a true force as he stymied the Leafs and posted a .943 save percentage over five games. That's all the Panthers needed to spoil Toronto's joy over making it to the second round for the first time in two decades.

Then came a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. Not only did Bobrovsky and the Panthers frustrate the hell out of the Canes and only allow six goals over four games, but they also apparently broke Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour in the process.

"The unfortunate part of this is we’re going to look back and everyone's going to say we got swept and that's not what happened."Rod Brind'Amour comments on his team getting eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/tcfpFnOkv9

Four games is in fact a sweep, Rod. Although, to be fair, Game 1 of that series went to four overtimes, so I guess you could make the case that they technically played five games and change. Still, it was quick work of the Hurricanes, who have now been swept in each of their last three conference final appearances.

Heading into the final round, the Panthers look like a team of destiny and are winners of 11 of their last 12 games. They have succeeded thanks to a couple dominant lines at the top of their lineup, relentless forechecking and unfathomable goaltending.

Vegas' run to the Cup Final is significantly less stunning than Florida's considering the Golden Knights finished the regular season as the top team in the Western Conference. That being said, they were a relatively unassuming top dog, as the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers seemed to be more popular and sexier picks to make it out of that side of the bracket.

The journey started with a first-round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, and it began on somewhat shaky ground. The Jets smoked the Knights in Game 1 and a few eyebrows were raised in the process. But those brows were quickly returned to their resting position as Vegas took the next four games en route to a gentleman's sweep.

That set up a second-round matchup against the Oilers, who were the NHL's best team in the second half of the season and had two all-world players on a tear with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It quickly became a pretty nasty, back-and-forth series, and the Golden Knights became the first team of the playoffs to have one of their players try to chop off a guy's arm. Very exciting!

Pietrangelo with a nasty slash on Draisaitl on an empty net attempt😳😬 pic.twitter.com/yQnU0h4O7h

The outlook for Vegas turned somewhat bleak when it lost starting goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a serious injury in Game 3 against Edmonton, but Adin Hill stepped in for Brossoit and played well while the Knights exposed some familiar fatal flaws of the Oilers (goaltending, shoddy defense, lack of depth scoring and an over reliance on the power play) and send Edmonton packing after six games.

Then came the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final. That series was a bit of a weird roller-coaster ride, starting with two overtime games that both ended in Vegas' favor. Then in Game 3, the Stars absolutely imploded and had the most embarrassing game of any team in these playoffs, putting them into a 3-0 series hole. Given how good Vegas is and how inconsistent Dallas is, the series felt like a wrap at that point, but the Stars showed some fight by taking the next two games before ultimately bowing out in six.

As the Golden Knights head to the Cup Final, they have arguably been this postseason's most consistent and methodical team, and they've largely found their success through great defensive structure and a steady offensive attack that has produced from top to bottom.

This is the second Stanley Cup Final appearance for both teams, and, no matter who wins, we'll see a team raise its first Cup in franchise history. All sides aren't exactly equal considering Florida joined the league in 1993 and Vegas joined in 2017, but make no mistake, a win would be massive for either team.

The Panthers previously made the SCF in 1996 and were promptly swept by the Avalanche. They didn't win another playoff series until 2022. During that interval, they were often a punching bag wrapped in irrelevance due to lack of success, absence of stars and embarrassing attendance numbers. A Stanley Cup title would not only put a bow on one of the most improbable and magical championship runs, but it also would help legitimize one of the NHL's most dunked-on franchises and perhaps lay the foundation for a promising future of hockey in South Florida.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, have been surprisingly relevant since they entered the league six years ago. They made the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, and even though they lost that Cup to the Washington Capitals, the city and fan base never relented in its support. In the years since, the Vegas front office also hasn't relented in its pursuit of a championship and the players they covet, becoming notorious for ruthless and aggressive roster-building tactics. If the Golden Knights achieve their ultimate goal, they would match the NHL record for fastest expansion team to hoist the Cup.

No player this postseason has raised his profile and stardom more than Tkachuk. Traded from the Calgary Flames to the Panthers last summer, the MVP finalist had an awesome first season in Florida, and now he's in the midst of a legacy-defining playoff run.

Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring (nine goals and 21 points through 16 games) and constantly shows up in the biggest moments. He's tapped into his clutch gene enough to draw comparisons to Jimmy Butler, the star player who's leading the Miami Heat's title pursuit in the NBA Finals. Four game-winners — including three OT goals and a regulation buzzer-beater to send his team to the Cup Final — will do that.

The legend of Matthew Tkachuk continues and the Florida Panthers are going to the Cup Final. Goodness gracious pic.twitter.com/fdvnq2IfZ8

Tkachuk does just about everything right, on and off the ice. He's extremely skilled but also plays with an edge. He has great celebrations when he scores. He's extremely charismatic and funny in his interviews. He wears shirts from The Elbo Room on national TV interviews.

If it sounds like I have a mild crush, mind your own business.

Once upon a time, Eichel was the No. 2 pick in the draft behind Connor McDavid. He was supposed to be the savior of the Buffalo Sabres, but a falling out over potential career-altering neck surgery led to a trade that sent him to Vegas.

In his first full season with the Golden Knights — and his first-ever playoff appearance — he has been nothing short of awesome.

There were questions about whether he would ever be the same top-end player again after his neck injury and whether he would shrink in the bright lights of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Both of those questions have been definitively answered this season. He's not scoring at his usual pace, but he still leads Vegas with 18 points in 17 games.

The case of Bob sure is an interesting one. While goaltending can often be a fickle beast, Bobrovsky is the biggest Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of goaltenders in the NHL. He's known to be incredible and also awful, but rarely anywhere in between.

He wasn't good during the regular season, and his backup, Alex Lyon, is largely responsible for the Panthers getting into the postseason. But when Lyon faltered in round one, Bobrovsky emerged as a savior for Florida and has looked about as good as we've ever seen him. Heading into the Final, he's on one of the most impressive playoff runs by a goaltender in recent memory. As such, he's the odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

If Bobrovsky does end up leading the Panthers to a Stanley Cup title, it'll be an incredible story that brings an end to all the jokes surrounding one of the most frequently mocked contracts in the entire NHL — he's the highest paid active goaltender at $10 million per season. However, with the long layoff, his history of inconsistency and the Golden Knights' track record of demoralizing top-end goaltenders, there's uncertainty about how this final chapter will play out.

Though not the sexiest headliner on the marquee, "Wild Bill" could be the biggest X-factor in this series. The Golden Knights' top playoff goal scorer with 10, Karlsson has made even more of a difference with his defensive impact during this run.

One of the more important components of a Stanley Cup contender is a shutdown line that neutralizes the other team's best players to free up favorable matchups for its own best players. Karlsson has fulfilled that duty this spring. His line has frequently been deployed to match up against the opponent's top talent — including the likes of Connor McDavid, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson — and he has consistently won those minutes, with Vegas outscoring opponents 14-5 with him on the ice at five-on-five.

He'll presumably share a lot of time on the ice with Matthew Tkachuk in this series, so that matchup will be one of the more intriguing to watch considering Tkachuk's line has basically steamrolled everyone that has got in its way.

If the Panthers are the most unlikely Cinderella story of these playoffs, Hill is a close second on an individual level. The career backup goalie was acquired by the Knights over the summer for a fourth-round draft pick in a transaction that barely moved the needle, but he has played a pretty important role for the Knights this season as one of FIVE goaltenders to suit up for Vegas with its revolving door in the crease.

When Laurent Brossoit went down in the second round, Hill was ready and seized his opportunity. In 11 games, he has posted a .937 save percentage and has saved about 10 goals more than expected. If Vegas wins the series, he might go down as one of the more unlikely goaltenders to hoist the Cup in decades.