Mark Stone had the game of his career on June 13, 2023. The Vegas Golden Knights captain had a hat trick in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, clinching the title for his team against the Florida Panthers. With the hat trick, fans celebrate in Las Vegas, vodka shots are downed in Toshiba Plaza, and new friendships are born.
The teams will face off against each other on Sunday, giving fans a preview of a potential rematch. How awesome would it be to see this happen again? Two teams in non-traditional hockey markets, leaving hockey purists crying in their corners? Sign me up!
With both teams searching for another Stanley Cup to their growing collections, it's easy to see why this is a potential preview. The Panthers have 61 points and sent Josh from San Francisco crying home by beating the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, 7-2. One can imagine the reaction from the fans after Matthew Tkachuk (one goal, two assists) and company laid waste to the Bay Area.
But enough about San Jose! This is about two of the better teams in the NHL. The Panthers and Golden Knights should provide fireworks for sports fans everywhere, even surpassing the conference championship happening on the same day. Let's look at the series from an all-time perspective and see who has the upper hand.
The Vegas Golden Knights have an all-time record of 6-5-2 against the Florida Panthers
The Vegas Golden Knights have had an even record against the Florida Panthers with an all-time record of 6-5-2. Of course, this is from the regular season with the Stanley Cup playoffs being a different story. The Golden Knights have an all-time record of 4-1 against the Panthers in the playoffs. Hmm, I wonder what happened after the fourth game?
Ironically, the Golden Knights have lost four straight games against the Panthers entering Sunday. Their last win came on January 12, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas doubled up Florida in this contest, 4-2, behind a three-goal barrage in the third period. Can the Golden Knights end the four-game losing streak on Sunday? Stay tuned.
The biggest blowout from the series history (excluding June 13, 2023) was on February 6, 2020. It was a 7-2 blowout victory for the Golden Knights in Sunrise, Florida, as Vegas scored four unanswered goals in the third period. Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone had a pair of goals in the contest. Stone added two assists and Pacioretty added one.
The largest margin of defeat (three goals) happened twice; first on January 27, 2022 at Sunrise and on January 4, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena. Both were 4-1 victories in favor of Florida. For the 2022 matchup, Sam Bennett scored two of Florida's four unanswered goals. He added a goal in the four-goal barrage in the 2024 matchup, which were, of course, unanswered.
If you're tired of watching the NFL and how processed it's becoming, tune in on Sunday to watch the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. It's a battle between two unconventional hockey teams vying for NHL supremacy. Trust me, you won't see Taylor Swift and her army of young, impressionable fans, either. It'll just be a battle of Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk, just as the good lord intended.