Historic battle for the Stanley Cup: “There is never ice in these towns”

After a season filled with highlights and matchups, it’s time to battle for the Stanley Cup once again. The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights will face off in the NHL Playoff Finals. At ESPN, you won’t miss a thing from the best-of-seven series. The first match is scheduled for the night of Saturday to Sunday.

The Panthers have long been waiting for another chance to win the Stanley Cup. The last and first time the final was reached was in 1996 when they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche. The Golden Knights reached the Finals in their first season six years ago, but then lost to the Washington Capitals.

History
“This matchup is going to be historic ahead of time. Both clubs have never won the Stanley Cup, so one club will go into the record books anyway,” said Leo Oldenburger, who reports on the NHL with Ron Berteling.

“These are teams from the southern United States that have only been around for a short time. Ice hockey has traditionally been a sport played in Canada and the northern United States where it can be cold. These are two teams that play in cities where there is never any ice. Ice hockey has had an interesting development in recent years. It’s very special to see.

According to Oldenburger, the fact that the Golden Knights and Panthers don’t yet have a Stanley Cup in their trophy cabinet says nothing about the status of the two organizations. “They have worked very hard in recent years to build a team. They are young clubs that are constantly innovating. The old clubs have become a bit lazy because of all the success. They have continued with old stars for too long. they had in the traditionally strong teams, so they perfectly became a lead.”

Eyes on Tkachuk
According to Oldenburger, the Golden Knights have been particularly warned against star player Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers. “He’s good for 100 points a season. A fantastic player who can also sometimes be an asshole. He’s not afraid to say ‘so far and no further’. That’s very important for this team and especially in the game- In the previous series (4-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes), he scored the winning goal three times. He is not normal on fire.”

The first game will take place in Las Vegas, home of the Golden Knights. It promises to be a spectacular opening. “Las Vegas means a lot of spectacle. You really have to sit down for that. The Panthers have won eleven of the last twelve games in the playoffs. They are in great shape. So it’s important that the Golden Knights don’t lose 1-0 , because then the Panthers will be unstoppable.”

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup battle between the Florida Panthers and the Las Vegas Golden Knights can be seen LIVE on ESPN 1 Saturday night from 2:00 a.m. with Dutch commentary.