NHL Playoffs 2023: Storylines to Watch in Panthers-Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final

After their dominant 6-0 win Monday night to dispatch the Dallas Stars, the Vegas Golden Knights have captured the NHL Western Conference title and will advance to the Stanley Cup Final to face the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers have been patiently waiting to learn the name of their opponent in the Final after sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes in their series.

The Golden Knights, on the other hand, were on the verge of sweeping the Stars as well after going up 3-0 in the series, but Dallas rallied to win two in a row before Vegas clinched the series 4-2.

The No. 1 Golden Knights versus the lowest-seeded Panthers seems like a mismatch on paper. But for anyone who watched Florida first dispatch the Boston Bruins, who only had best regular season in NHL history, and then the No. 4 Toronto Maple Leafs and No. 2 Hurricanes knows these cats are prepared to claw their way to the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup.

Let's take a look at the top storylines surrounding these two teams as we wait for the Final to kick off on Saturday.

Stanley Cup Final Schedule

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SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 7: Goaltender Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights stops a shot by Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers at the FLA Live Arena on March 7, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Game 1: Saturday, June 3; Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 2: Monday, June 5; Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m., TNT

Game 3: Thursday, June 8; Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m., TNT

Game 4: Saturday, June 10; Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m., TNT

*Game 5: Tuesday, June 13; Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m., TNT

*Game 6: Friday, June 16; Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m., TNT

*Game 7: Monday, June 19; Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m., TNT

*If necessary

A First Time for Everything

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SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 07: \fla72\ eyes Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson (20) as he attacks with the puck during the game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Whether it's the Vegas Golden Knights or the Florida Panthers hoisting the Stanley Cup when all is said and done, it will be the first time for either franchise.

Both teams have been here before, but the Golden Knights more recently than the Panthers.

Vegas famously made it to the Cup Final in its first season in 2018, falling to the Washington Capitals 4-1. Florida's last trip was in 1996, when the upstart Colorado Avalanche felled the franchise in four games.

Goaltending Battle

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DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 29: Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights looks during the first period against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 29, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

NHL teams typically live or die on the strength of their goaltending in the playoffs, and that will certainly be true for this year's Stanley Cup Final.

After he posted a 3.07 goals-against average in the regular season, the Panthers pulled goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in favor of backup Alex Lyon to start the playoffs.

However, since the 34-year-old Russian returned partway through the first-round series against the Boston Bruins, he's posted a .935 save percentage—the best of his postseason career—and a 2.21 goals-against average, also a high-water mark. He's also marked his first-ever postseason shutout.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights turned to Adin Hill in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers after starter Laurent Brossoit suffered an injury.

Hill, 27, has a save percentage of .932 and a goals-against average of 2.30, as well as his own first-ever postseason shutout.

While goaltending is only one piece of the puzzle, there's no question the path to the Stanley Cup will be paved by either Bobrovsky or Hill. The former must face Vegas top scorer William Karlsson, who has 10 goals this postseason, while Hill has the unenviable task of going up against Matthew Tkachuk, who has 21 points overall, the second-highest of these playoffs and the highest of any remaining player.