Stanley Cup Final Game 4 live blog: Golden Knights vs. Panthers

Welcome to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price was high atop FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, to provide all the sights, sounds and highlights for Vegas' 3-2 win.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

11:01 p.m. ET

Despite a valiant late push, the Panthers fall short, and we go back to Las Vegas with the Golden Knights one win away from their first Stanley Cup title.

Vegas even had to kill a delay of game penalty with 17.4 seconds left but hung on for a 3-2 win.

I expect it to be an insane asylum in Las Vegas when we get back there Sunday night.

Thanks for reading along, and I'll see you Tuesday with the Cup in the house.

10:52 p.m. ET

Matthew Tkachuk is back on the ice as the Panthers try to make a push to tie this game up and avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.

And Sergei Bobrovsky is a big reason they still have a chance. Vegas just had an extended shift in the Florida end, but Bob -- as they call him -- was up to the test.

We have 2:35 left in the game and the Panthers need one, but Vegas is still being aggressive and not sitting back. And now Bob has been pulled. It's an open net for Florida.

What a game this has been. This crowd is on the edge of its seat here.

10:45 p.m. ET

Sergei Bobrovsky made perhaps his biggest save the series to this point with 7:58 left in the third, stopping Jack Eichel, who was wide open in the slot. Eichel one-timed a pass from behind the net, but likely could've waited a second and picked his spot.

Matthew Tkachuk hasn't played since there was 15:43 left in the period. He's played only 46 seconds in the third to this point. We'll see if he gets out there if the Panthers need a late goal.

Of course, any injury to Tkachuk would be devastating to the Panthers going forward. There are two days off before Game 5, but they need him at his best.

We have 5:56 left in the third. It's getting late early here in Florida, but we've been here before with the Panthers.

10:38 p.m. ET

You can cut the tension with a knife in this place, and justifiably so.

There is 9:05 to go in the third period and Vegas is holding on to a 3-2 lead. A win and they take a 3-1 series lead home to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday.

If Florida rallies to win this game, it would seemingly have all the momentum going back to Vegas with the series tied 2-2.

Florida is making its push, but Adin Hill has been sharp. In fact, he just kept the puck out after a mad scramble in his crease.

So, a few notes from earlier -- Vegas forward Jack Eichel was not the bench to start the third period, but he was back a few seconds later.

Florida forward Anthony Duclair was also missing from the bench for a few minutes, but he came back with 12:43 left in regulation.

Also, Matthew Tkachuk has played just two shifts in the third period, possibly still dealing with the impact of the hit he took from Keegan Kolesar in Game 3.

10:27 p.m. ET

The Panthers have come out with a purpose in the third period, and are trying to get more pucks to the net and with 16:10 left in the third, they get one in the net and just like that it's 3-2 Vegas.

Aleksander Barkov lights the lamp on a gorgeous pass from Brandon Montour.

A few rats were tossed onto the ice and this place is going absolutely bonkers right now, perhaps the loudest it has been all night. In fact, an offside was just called against Florida, but it was impossible to hear the whistle up here in the press box.

What seemed like a comfortable Vegas three-goal lead is now down to one, and suddenly their Cup hopes seems to be hanging in the balance a bit. If they blow this game after letting Game 3 get away late, well, who knows.

10:15 p.m. ET

We have 20 minutes left in regulation here and if the Panther have another miracle in their bag of tricks, now would be the time to use it.

They trail 3-1 after two periods and are looking at going back to Las Vegas down 3-1 for Game 5 on Tuesday night in what I'm sure would be an insane T-Mobile Arena.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Panthers have shown this entire postseason they are not an easy out, so I expect them to come out flying in the third period.

But Vegas has also been a tough team when playing with the lead, and it has already blocked 18 shots tonight.

The teams are back on the ice, with the Panthers coming onto the ice to "Master of Puppets" by Metallica. I really think my metal message has gotten through.

9:57 p.m. ET

The Panthers are on the board. They get somewhat of a gift goal when a centering pass from Brandon Montour deflects off Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore and past goalie Adin Hill with 3:51 left it's a 3-1 game.

And just like that, this crowd is back and the feeling that Florida can pull off another rally is back too.

Vegas had been dominant to that point, and with two bounces that went Florida's way - the Marchessault shot off the post and puck deflected in past Hill -- it's a 3-1 game instead of 4-0.

The Panthers still have plenty of work do to, but with the crowd back into it and the Panthers now within two goals, the writers and columnists have to hold off on formulating their postgame plans at least for a little bit.

We have 20 minutes left here in Sunrise and it's 3-1 Vegas, but Florida has new life.

9:45 p.m. ET

And now William Karlsson has gotten into the act, making it 3-0 Vegas with 8:56 left in the second and the air is quickly leaving FLA Live Arena.

Vegas has been dominant in this second period, not only keeping constant pressure on Florida, but also limiting the Panthers to just three shots on goal in the first 13 minutes of the second period.

The fans are trying to stay in the game, especially the whistling guy, but to this point the Golden Knights have imposed their will on the Panthers and it's close to getting out of hand here.

It almost got out of hand, but Jonathan Marchessault hit the crossbar with 6:45 left. Maybe it's the break the Panthers need to turn this game around.

9:38 p.m. ET

Chandler Stephenson is having himself quite a night. He has made it 2-0 with 12:32 left in the second period on a beautiful one-timer off a gorgeous pass from Mark Stone.

The goal came a few seconds after Stephenson broke in on Sergei Bobrovsky but opted to pass instead of shoot.

Stephenson has been the difference here tonight, with both goals for Vegas. I don't think it's outrageous to say that Florida needs to score the next goal. Though the Panthers have shown the ability to come back, the Golden Knights have shown the ability to not only hold big leads, but also attack with the lead, just ask the Dallas Stars, who fell behind early in Games 3 and 6 of the Western Conference Final and had no chance to win.

In fact, Florida only has two shots on goal this period and there is now 10:34 left.

There is now 11:11 left and it's "Back in Black" by AC/DC. I think it's just a coincidence that the music has gotten heavier since my comment a few posts back, but if not, you're all welcome.

9:32 p.m. ET

The Panthers' penalty kill comes up big, keeping this a 1-0 game as Marc Staal is out of the sin bin after he tripped Mark Stone -- and he did trip him.

Either the Panthers DJ is reading the blog and taking my advice or I spoke too soon, because the music has gotten much heavier in here since I made the comparison to Vegas.

The DJ has played "BOOM" by P.O.D and "Down and Out" by Tantric (I had to Shazaam each of them).

And now "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister. Amazingly, they played Twisted Sister a second after Dan Rosen and I were discussing the "Seinfeld" episode featuring the Maestro, who was played by Mark Metcalf, who appears in the Twisted Sister videos. You all know him as Douglas Neidermayer from "Animal House."

He follows that with some Quiet Riot.

Now I'm thinking the DJ is listening in to what we are saying up here.

9:23 p.m. ET

Chandler Stephenson nearly scores again with 17:41 left when he takes a feed in the slot from Mark Stone and fires one on net. But Bobrovsky made the save.

Vegas was working on that exact play in practice before Game 3 on Wednesday and it worked to perfection, except for Bobrovsky making the save.

And now we have our first penalty of the game with Florida's Marc Staal going off for tripping Mark Stone. Vegas to the power play with 17:08 left in the first.

There is a fan right under us who feels the need to lead the "Let's Go Panthers" chant by whistling it constantly. I give him credit for determination, but it's getting a little bit annoying. I know, I'm an old man.

And just after I made that comment about the lack of hard rock, the DJ plays "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not exactly heavy metal, but also not 80s pop songs either.

9:16 p.m. ET

The second period has begun here at FLA Live Arena. It was a really strong first period for the Golden Knights, who lead 1-0. But as we and the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes and even the Golden Knights know, a one-goal lead against the Panthers means nothing.

Florida has had a flair for the dramatic this entire postseason, so it would behoove Vegas (that's my second behoove this Final) to increase the lead. The Golden Knights certainly had chances to do so in the first period, but Sergei Bobrovsky was strong in goal again, allowing only the goal to Chandler Stephenson at 1:39 of the first.

Adin Hill has looked good in net for Vegas but has not been tested as nearly as much than Bobrovsky.

The Panthers took the ice for the second to the opening chimes of "Hells Bells" by AC/DC. I have to say, there is not as much heavy metal/hard rock here in Florida as compared to what we get in Vegas.

9:01 p.m. ET

Dan Rosen wrote yesterday about how each team was taking plenty of positives into this game, and I think the same can be said going into the first intermission.

Vegas has to be pleased with the first period after the OT loss in Game 3. Vegas controlled the play for most of the period and put much more pressure on Sergei Bobrovsky than Florida did on Vegas goalie Adin Hill.

Florida's best chance came with about 1:40 left when it caught Vegas on a change, but Hill was there to answer the call again. The Panthers had another really good chance in the final seconds of the period when Anton Lundell got a clean shot from the slot but he sailed it over the goal.

Florida has to be thrilled its only down 1-0. The shots on goal were even at 12 each in the first, but the Golden Knights' chances were much better than the ones for the Panthers.

The Zambonis are on the ice and I'm heading to see if there are any chicken fingers. They were replaced earlier by hamburger sliders, which, while good, make me long for some White Castle.

But with a long flight to Vegas tomorrow, no White Castle is a good thing.

8:47 p.m. ET

I'm not sure if the refs are letting more things go or if each team was told to play with more discipline by the coaches, but there has yet to be a penalty called in this game after 11 were called during Game 3.

Of course, every time a Panther hits the ice, the fans are screaming for a call.

The DJ just played "All the Small Things" by Blink-182 and crowd kept singing it after the music ended, actually singing while play was going it. It takes me back to Colorado during last year's Cup Final, when Avalanche fans would sing almost the entire first verse and chorus.

It's still 1-0 Vegas with 5:52 left in the first period. Vegas is outshooting Florida 10-8 and making Sergei Bobrovsky work for every save.

They just played Spot Stanley here, where one fan tries to find the other Panthers mascot in the arena with a video camera. He was in section 129.

8:37 p.m. ET

There's certainly much more action and more chances in the early going here than there was in Game 3.

And the crowd is hanging on every shot, every pass. The volume really goes up any time a Panthers player brings the puck into the Golden Knights zone.

The Panthers' best chance at goal came about a minute ago, but Adin Hill was there to stop Matthew Tkachuk on the doorstep.

It's 1-0 Golden Knights in a fast-moving first period. There is 9:37 left in the first and Vegas is outshooting Florida, 7-5.

A big topic of conversation in the press area before the game was Conor McGregor's skit with the Miami Heat mascot during the NBA Finals on Friday night. In case you missed it, check it out.

I hope McGregor didn't give NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin any ideas. She's no fan of mascots, so Viktor E. Rat might want to watch his back.

8:27 p.m. ET

The good feelings in here don't last long as Chandler Stephenson scores 1:39 into the game, taking a brilliant pass from defenseman and NHL.com blogger Zach Whitecloud to walk in on Sergei Bobrovsky.

Well, honestly, it's not Florida Panthers hockey unless there's some adversity and they find it early, with Stephenson scoring on assists from Whitecloud and Mark Stone.

The Panthers come back with a push of their own getting a few shots on Adin Hill and the crowd is back into it.

Lots of hockey left.

8:22 p.m. ET

This crowd is ready to go. It's much louder in here tonight compared to Game 3. At that point, the Panthers were coming off a 7-2 loss in Game 2, but tonight, the Panthers are looking to build momentum off an emotional 3-2 overtime win in Game 3.

This really feels like the biggest game of the series at this point.

Brooks Koepka, a big Panthers fan who just won the PGA Championship a week or so ago, banged the drum tonight to lead the "Let's Go Panthers" chant. Koepka, who had a small tiff with Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad during the season, was wearing an Ekblad jersey, so hopefully all is well with those two.

The chant morphed into the opening chords of "Enter Sandman" and the Panthers are on the ice.

The Panthers start with the line of Nick Cousins, Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair with Brandon Montour and Marc Staal on defense.

The Golden Knights go with Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev with Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore on defense.

Cassadee Pope, a winner from "The Voice" just sang the anthem. Several times fans yelled "Let's Go Cats" during the anthem. It felt like a Rangers game.

7:58 p.m. ET

The countdown to Game 4 is officially on with each team completing warmups. There is 15:00 on the clock as the fans start to really fill in this place.

Courtesy of NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen, here is how the teams lined up during warmups:

Golden Knights

Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault

Smith-Karlsson-Amadio

Howden-Stephenson-Stone

Carrier-Roy-Kolesar

Martinez-Pietrangelo

McNabb-Theodore

Hague-Whitecloud

Hill

Panthers

Cousins-Barkov-Duclair

Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk

Lomberg-Lundell-Reinhart

White-E. Staal-Dalpe

Forsling-Ekblad

M. Staal-Montour

Mahura-Gudas

Bobrovsky

7:45 p.m. ET

Warmups have started here and the arena bowl is slowly filling up.

There are tons of fans in the concourse, either lined up for food, beer or the merch shop.

One thing I love to do at these games is walk around the concourse and check out all the different name and number jerseys fans are wearing.

Not surprisingly, there were plenty of Tkachuk jerseys and even several Huberdeau jerseys. Also, and I love this, plenty of Jaromir Jagr jerseys. I even spotted a John Vanbiesbrouck jersey.

But the best outfit belonged to this guy in the Panthers themed suit. When I asked if I could take his photo and post on NHL.com, he said, "Hell yeah."

The vibe in this building is great as Panthers fans are hoping their late magic from Game 3 carries over to tonight.

7:15 p.m. ET

We are about 45 minutes from things really getting started here. The game will be a perfect capper to what has been a huge sports day.

First, you had Manchester City winning the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan. I'm told this is a pretty big deal by the soccer heads in our group. Shawn P. Roarke is unquestionably the biggest soccer fan I know, and I also know he was rooting against Man City, so he's not very happy right now.

Then, the New York Mets did the impossible and won a baseball game.

Next up was the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown with the Belmont Stakes in New York. A horse named Arcangelo won the race. My daughter, Shea, picked it correctly, so at least one member of the Price family gets to finally cash a ticket.

And now we have a huge Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final which could determine if this series ends in five games or goes the distance.

The fans are slowly coming in, but this joint will be full and loud come 8 p.m.

7 p.m. ET

We are about an hour or so from puck drop and you can already feel the air of anticipation. You could have said the same thing about Game 3 on Thursday, but I think it's safe to say Game 4 is the biggest game in the history of the Florida Panthers to this point. A win and not only is the series tied but the possibility of them winning the Cup on home ice in Game 6 is real. A loss tonight, and suddenly they are staring at the Golden Knights having a chance to win the Cup on home ice on Tuesday in Game 5.

The home team has won each of the first three games. The last time the home team won each of the first four games in the Stanley Cup Final was 2017 (Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators). It has happened 13 times in history.

The arena is starting to fill up, but there are still plenty of people outside. It was a beautiful day in South Florida today (if you like sweating), and I'm sure there was plenty of tailgating to be done.

But it will be loud in here soon.

"It's so loud in the building and we love playing at home," Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "To get the win at home was really nice to hear the building explode, which was awesome."

I'm looking forward to the pregame resurfacing when they bring out the Fanboni. Not only did a few little kids get to ride around in it like a bus, but it has this awesome Panthers face on it. It scared the heck out of me when I walked into the arena tonight.

I'm heading for the chicken fingers before they are all gone. Will check back in about 15 minutes.