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In just their sixth season, the Vegas Golden Knights is now a member of the Stanley Cup family as they earn their right and beat the Florida Panthers in five games for the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals. This isn't the Golden Knights' first rodeo as they were in the Finals in 2018... only to lose in five games versus the Washington Capitals who were coincidentally in their second Cup Finals Apperereance [their first was in 1998, when they were swept by the Red Wings]. You may have notice the list includes the banner logo, inspired by the Tampa Bay Lightning who won their second cup in franchise history back in 2020.

Here's their stories:

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2022–23 season and the culmination of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers and the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas won the best-of-seven series, four games to one to earn their first championship in their sixth season. This was the first Finals series since 2018, which the Golden Knights also played in, in which neither team has previously won the Stanley Cup and the first to have two teams from the Sun Belt since 2020. For the first time since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Finals ran through the first weeks of June. The series began on June 3, and concluded on June 13.

PATH TO THE FINALS:
FLORIDA PANTHERS:his was the second Finals appearance for the Panthers. Their only previous appearance was in 1996, which Florida lost in a four-game sweep to the Colorado Avalanche.

During the offseason, former Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice was hired as the Panthers head coach. The Panthers made a large offseason acquisition, trading Jonathan Huberdeau, who led the team in points the previous year, along with MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk led the team in points this year with 109. Through free agency, the team acquired forwards Nick Cousins, Colin White, and Eric Staal, defenceman, and brother to Eric, Marc Staal, and goaltender Alex Lyon. The team also opted to re-sign forward Eetu Luostarinen and goaltender Spencer Knight. Midway through the regular season, the team claimed defenceman Casey Fitzgerald off of waivers.

The Panthers finished with a 42–32–8 record, grabbing the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with 92 points, the lowest point total of any playoff team. The Panthers mounted a 3–1 series comeback against the record-setting, Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the First Round, defeating them in a seventh game overtime. They then eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games during the Second Round and the Carolina Hurricanes in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers are the fourth eighth seed to reach the Finals, following the Edmonton Oilers in 2006, the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, and the Nashville Predators in 2017.

The Panthers' Finals appearance is the fourth in a row for a Florida-based team, following three consecutive appearances by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS:This was Vegas's second Finals appearance. Their only previous appearance was in 2018, during their inaugural season, which they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.

During the offseason, the Golden Knights fired head coach Peter DeBoer and hired former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy to be their head coach. They also acquired goaltender Adin Hill in a trade, re-signed Brett Howden, Reilly Smith, Keegan Kolesar, and Nicolas Roy, and also signed Phil Kessel during free agency. During the season, the Golden Knights traded for forwards Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger, and at the trade deadline, the team acquired goaltender Jonathan Quick who was flipped by the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Los Angeles Kings.

The Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference with 111 points via a 51–22–9 record. Vegas defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games during the First Round, triumphed over the Edmonton Oilers during the Second Round in six games, and knocked off the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final in six games.

Once again, congratulations to Hockey's 31st Team in the Vegas Golden Knights!

Description
In just their sixth season, the Vegas Golden Knights is now a member of the Stanley Cup family as they earn their right and beat the Florida Panthers in five games for the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals. This isn't the Golden Knights' first rodeo as they were in the Finals in 2018... only to lose in five games versus the Washington Capitals who were coincidentally in their second Cup Finals Apperereance [their first was in 1998, when they were swept by the Red Wings]. You may have notice the list includes the banner logo, inspired by the Tampa Bay Lightning who won their second cup in franchise history back in 2020.

Here's their stories:

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2022–23 season and the culmination of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers and the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas won the best-of-seven series, four games to one to earn their first championship in their sixth season. This was the first Finals series since 2018, which the Golden Knights also played in, in which neither team has previously won the Stanley Cup and the first to have two teams from the Sun Belt since 2020. For the first time since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Finals ran through the first weeks of June. The series began on June 3, and concluded on June 13.

PATH TO THE FINALS:
FLORIDA PANTHERS:his was the second Finals appearance for the Panthers. Their only previous appearance was in 1996, which Florida lost in a four-game sweep to the Colorado Avalanche.

During the offseason, former Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice was hired as the Panthers head coach. The Panthers made a large offseason acquisition, trading Jonathan Huberdeau, who led the team in points the previous year, along with MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk led the team in points this year with 109. Through free agency, the team acquired forwards Nick Cousins, Colin White, and Eric Staal, defenceman, and brother to Eric, Marc Staal, and goaltender Alex Lyon. The team also opted to re-sign forward Eetu Luostarinen and goaltender Spencer Knight. Midway through the regular season, the team claimed defenceman Casey Fitzgerald off of waivers.

The Panthers finished with a 42–32–8 record, grabbing the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with 92 points, the lowest point total of any playoff team. The Panthers mounted a 3–1 series comeback against the record-setting, Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the First Round, defeating them in a seventh game overtime. They then eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games during the Second Round and the Carolina Hurricanes in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers are the fourth eighth seed to reach the Finals, following the Edmonton Oilers in 2006, the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, and the Nashville Predators in 2017.

The Panthers' Finals appearance is the fourth in a row for a Florida-based team, following three consecutive appearances by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS:This was Vegas's second Finals appearance. Their only previous appearance was in 2018, during their inaugural season, which they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.

During the offseason, the Golden Knights fired head coach Peter DeBoer and hired former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy to be their head coach. They also acquired goaltender Adin Hill in a trade, re-signed Brett Howden, Reilly Smith, Keegan Kolesar, and Nicolas Roy, and also signed Phil Kessel during free agency. During the season, the Golden Knights traded for forwards Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger, and at the trade deadline, the team acquired goaltender Jonathan Quick who was flipped by the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Los Angeles Kings.

The Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference with 111 points via a 51–22–9 record. Vegas defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games during the First Round, triumphed over the Edmonton Oilers during the Second Round in six games, and knocked off the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final in six games.

Once again, congratulations to Hockey's 31st Team in the Vegas Golden Knights!