Panthers, Golden Knights face final test in 'Quest For The Stanley Cup'

The Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers both are aiming to win the Stanley Cup for the first time as the Final begins in Episode 5 of "Quest For The Stanley Cup."

Vegas is playing in the Final for the second time in six seasons since joining the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18, while Florida returns for the first time since 1996, and the behind-the-scenes show is there to capture the pivotal moments of the first two games in the best-of-7 series.

The Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final in six games with goalie Adin Hill getting two shutouts in the series. Hill took over as Golden Knights starter after Laurent Brossoit sustained an injury in Game 2 of the second round against the Edmonton Oilers.

"To get two shutouts in the Western Conference Final, it's a dream come true," Hill says after Game 6 against the Stars. "No goalie gets a shutout by himself; the team has to play well in front of you. You just try to keep a level head and keep moving forward. The team is playing great right now and this is the most fun I've had playing hockey."

Looking to the Final, the Golden Knights know they are going up against an aggressive forechecking team in the Panthers, who swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final and had nine days between games prior to Game 1 of the Cup Final.

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The Panthers are led by forward Matthew Tkachuk, who has four game-winning goals in the playoffs, including three against the Hurricanes, and is starting to earn a reputation as "Mr. Clutch."

"I guess that's pretty cool that people are saying that about me," Tkachuk says. "I definitely don't think that necessarily of myself. I'm not really a guy that has a ton of nerves, but there's definitely excitement, you just want to get going. It's been a long time since we played a game, so for us to hopefully get this going in the right direction like the way we have in the last few series, that's big for us."

Game 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is a hard-fought, physical contest with Panthers 18-year veteran forward Eric Staal scoring his second goal of the playoffs on a short-handed wraparound to give Florida the lead. Staal won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina and became the player to go the longest between goals in the Cup Final.

Vegas and Florida go into the third period tied 2-2 before defenseman Zach Whitecloud scores to give the Golden Knights the lead on their way to a 5-2 victory. Hill makes 33 saves in the win, including a sprawling stick save on Nick Cousins, and was awarded the Elvis wig and sunglasses by his teammates as player of the game.

"Tonight is only one game and you don't win the Stanley Cup in Game 1, but there is a belief in here," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy says. "That's 13 (playoff) wins and we're going to start working on 14."

The physical play continues in Game 2, and Vegas races out to a 4-0 lead, chasing Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky from the game, replaced by Alex Lyon. The Golden Knights go on to win 7-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the Cup Final, which shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for Games 3 and 4.

"I think going home and playing in front of our amazing fans and the momentum that we've had playing there in the last month, we'll come out in Game 3 playing our best hockey of the season," Tkachuk says. "If we do that, that will be a recipe for success for us in this series."

Episode 5 of "Quest For The Stanley Cup" premieres at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube.com/NHL in Canada and abroad. Episodes also will be reaired on ESPN2.