By Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer

June 10, 2023

SUNRISE, Fla. — Chandler Stephenson scored two goals, and the Vegas Golden Knights moved one step closer to their first Stanley Cup championship by holding on to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.

William Karlsson scored the game-winning goal, Mark Stone and Nicolas Hague each had two assists, and Adin Hill made 29 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 and can win the Stanley Cup at home Tuesday, when it plays Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov each had a goal and an assist after Vegas took a 3-0 lead. Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves for the Panthers.

Vegas improved to 7-3 on the road in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The home team had won the previous three games in the Stanley Cup Final.

Stephenson got the Golden Knights started by scoring 1:39 into the first period to make it 1-0.

Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad went for a change after the puck came out of Florida’s defensive zone at the right point, but Zach Whitecloud got it and found Stephenson cutting into the open space in the middle. He dashed past Sam Bennett and beat Bobrovsky through the five-hole.

Stephenson scored again at 7:28 of the second period with a glove-side one-timer from above the hash marks to make it 2-0. 

Stone entered the zone with possession and Brett Howden drove to the net to create some space in the middle. Stone, in the left face-off circle, found Stephenson for the one-timer.

Vegas made it 3-0 less than four minutes later, when Karlsson scored from the left circle off a rebound of Hague’s shot at 11:04. 

Jonathan Marchessault won the puck on a forecheck behind the goal line and got it out to Hague. Radko Gudas blocked his shot, but the puck came to Karlsson, who put it in.

The assist extended Marchessault’s point streak to nine games (eight goals, six assists).

Montour scored on a shot that pinballed off Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore at 16:09 to cut Vegas’ lead to 3-1.

Barkov made it 3-2 at 3:50 of the third period, scoring with a one-timer from the right circle off a backhand pass from Montour, who was below in the left circle.

Bobrovsky stopped Marchessault on a semi-breakaway with 3:25 remaining to keep it a one goal game.

The Panthers pulled the goalie with 2:26 remaining, got a power play with 18 seconds to play, but Hill stopped Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe with his left pad to keep the puck out and preserve the win.

Source: nhl.com