Stephenson’s two-goal night lifts Vegas to Game 4 win and brink of Stanley Cup

The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final Saturday night.

Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can win the NHL championship on home ice Tuesday night. Getting to the verge that wasn’t easy.

Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights, and William Karlsson broke through to end his series-long goal drought to build a 3-0 lead. The Panthers scored twice – Brandon Montour on a pinball goal late in the second period, and Aleksander Barkov’s first of the series early in the third – to claw back into it.

But their rally fell short and put Florida, eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and final team to qualify for the playoffs, on the brink of this improbable run coming to an end.

Once again Sergei Bobrovsky almost kept the Panthers afloat, stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced and giving up goals when teammates left him out to dry. At the other end of the ice, journeyman goaltender Adin Hill made 29 saves for his 10th win since stepping in during the middle of the second round.

The Golden Knights need only win one more game to deliver a championship to Las Vegas in just their sixth year of existence, making good on owner Bill Foley’s goal to win the Stanley Cup in that period of time. They reached the final in their inaugural season in 2017-18 before losing to Washington in five games.

Vegas is more talented and has certainly looked more prepared for the spotlight this time around. Stephenson – who beat them five years ago as a member of the Capitals – and Hill were trade acquisitions, as was first-line center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone, who had two assists in Game 4.

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