Vegas or Florida? Breaking down a most unexpected Stanley Cup final

In mid-December, Sergei Bobrovsky’s future with the Florida Panthers was the subject of serious debate. The $10m-per-year netminder was 5-8-1 with a .884 save percentage before Christmas. Spencer Knight, who signed a contract extension worth $4.5m a year in October, looked like the natural successor, so long as Florida could convince someone to take Bob off their hands this summer. But in February, Knight entered then NHL’s player assistance program with no timeline for his return. Bobrovsky was bumped back to first string, but struggled again. When an illness sidelined him in late March, Alex Lyon, called up from the AHL, stepped in, went on a tear, and started the playoffs against Boston.

The results were mixed. With Boston up 2-1 in the series, Panthers coach Paul Maurice benched Lyon and went back to Bob. Florida lost Game 4 6-2. It was “gamble that did not pay off,” The Hockey News intoned the following morning. And they were right – for a couple of days. Then things changed. From Game 5 against Boston through to Florida’s sweep of Carolina to earn a spot in the final, Bobrovsky’s been lights-out, posting a .935 save percentage, breaking Johnny Bower’s record for saves in the first three games of a series, and losing only one game since that Boston start – a 2-1 knife-fight in Game 4 against the Leafs.

Bobrovsky’s back on the case. Can he close it against Vegas?

A few days after the Panthers eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes from the playoffs, Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk joined TNT’s NBA playoff broadcast team ahead of Game 6 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Both Florida teams entered their respective playoff races as the 8th seed facing the conference’s best team. Both registered upsets in that first