Vegas has unfinished business with Stanley Cup

Good morning and happy Tuesday, May 30th.

We hope our American readers enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend! 🇺🇸

And who is excited for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night?! 🙋

Please enjoy today’s newsletter as we’ll be back first thing Friday morning with a special Stanley Cup Final preview. 👊

Today’s lineup:

• 💥 Vegas thumps Dallas 6-0

• 🍾 The 2023 Stanley Cup Final is here, finally

• 🏆 Should former players present the Stanley Cup?

• 👇 And a lot more…

The Vegas Golden Knights were a franchise born with a keen understanding of how to win playoff series.

The Golden Knights, in their sixth NHL season, crushed the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 Monday night to win the 10th playoff series and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their short existence.

They will play the Florida Panthers Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. Like the Golden Knights, the Panthers are trying to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Panthers joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1993-94. Vegas is only the third team over the past 90 years to reach the championship series twice in their first six seasons in the NHL.

Six players from that Vegas expansion squad, which lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final, are still playing for the Golden Knights, including William Karlsson, Carrier, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith who contributed heavily to the Vegas offensive fireworks in the clinching game.

Karlsson posted two goals and an assist, while Carrier added a goal and an assist. Marchessault chipped in a goal and Smith had two assists. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb are the other two holdovers from that first Vegas team.

Karlsson has netted 10 goals in this postseason to establish a new team record.

Only the Tampa Bay Lightning have won more playoff series than Vegas since 2018. The Lightning joined the Edmonton Oilers (1980-85) as the only NHL teams to win 10 playoff series in their first six seasons in the league.

Adin Hill made 23 saves for his second shutout of this postseason. The 27-year-old netminder had never been in an NHL playoff game before replacing the injured Laurent Brossoit earlier in these playoffs.

🏆 After 1,312 regular season games, plus 83 playoff games to date, the 2023 Stanley Cup Final is finally upon us! The Vegas Golden Knights were the Pacific Division and Western Conference regular season champs, earning 111 points in the regular season and haven’t faced elimination this playoff run defeating Winnipeg 4-1, Edmonton 4-2, and Dallas 4-2 en route to their franchise’s 2nd Stanley Cup Final appearance — they lost their 1st Final against the Washington Capitals 4-1 in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, earning the final Eastern Conference wild card spot with 92 regular season points. On the brink of elimination in round 1 against the record breaking Boston Bruins (135 pts), the Florida Panthers rallied to defeat the Bruins in 7 games before whooping the Maple Leafs (111 pts) in 5 games and sweeping the Hurricanes (113 pts). Similar to Vegas, this is Florida’s 2nd Cup Final in franchise history — the Panthers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.

Here’s the 2023 Stanley Cup Final schedule so you don’t miss any action:

1. Saturday June 3rd at 8 PM ET, Vegas

2. Monday June 5th at 8 PM ET, Vegas

3. Thursday June 8th at 8 PM ET, Florida

4. Saturday June 10th at 8 PM ET, Florida

5. *Tuesday June 13th at 8 PM ET, Vegas

6. *Friday June 16th at 8 PM ET, Florida

7. *Monday June 19th at 8 PM ET, Vegas

*if necessary

Who has recorded the most points in the Stanley Cup Finals in NHL history?

• Golden Knights don't touch Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after Game 6 win

• How the Vegas Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup Final

• Blockbuster Tkachuk trade catapults Panthers into Stanley Cup Final

• How the Panthers' forecheck has led to overtime success

• Opinion: making the case for former NHLers presenting the Stanley Cup

• Arduous sale process bound to produce quality ownership for Senators

• Why it's time for NHL to move on from the Arizona Coyotes soap opera

• Canada clinches World Hockey Championship gold with win over Germany

• Latvia closes for surprise holiday after hockey upset of U.S.

• Top 10 players at the World Championship: Arturs Silvos sealed the door

• Master Your Top Hand Strength at Home Like Crosby

• Linear retrievals to create time and space off the wall

TRIVIA ANSWER

Jean Beliveau’s 62 points in the Stanley Cup Finals is the most all-time in NHL history. But how about Wayne with 53 points in just 31 games played?! 🤯