The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, destroying them en route to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Golden Knights fulfilled owner Bill Foley’s pledge to the city of Las Vegas, delivering a Cup in the first six years of their existence. Players rose to new heights to achieve this remarkable feat, accomplishing the unthinkable. Etched into Golden Knights lore consists of Mark Stone’s heroic hat trick in Game 5, Adin Hill besting the Panthers’ offense, the Golden Misfits, and other memorable moments. At the other end, disappointment consumes the Panthers, with three players performing far below expectations.
Sergei Bobrovsky
Sergei Bobrovsky turned in a pumpkin once the clock struck midnight. His Herculean effort to drag the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final was impressive, but we are only looking at the Final on this list. He only managed to muster one win against the Golden Knights. In that game, he looked like the Bobrosvky that tormented the Toronto Maple Leafs, frustrated the Carolina Hurricanes, and crushed the Boston Bruins‘ hearts. He posted a 1.87 goals-against average (GAA) and a .926 save percentage (SV%) in the three series before the Final. He had a .844 SV% and a 4.70 GAA in his five games in the Final while facing 135 shots. He let in eight goals in Game 5, his worst of the series, at the worst possible time.
Bobrovsky had flashes of excellence, making impossible saves against the Golden Knights attackers one minute, then giving up uncharacteristically bad goals the next. His subpar Game 1 performance was followed by getting pulled in Game 2, eventually losing four of five in his first Stanley Cup Final. If the Bobrovsky NHL fans got accustomed to during the regular season had performed like this, while disappointing, it would not have been as shocking. He was a man on a mission these playoffs but picked the worst time to fall off a cliff. The Panthers would have needed a miracle to beat the Golden Knights – their miracle, Bobrovsky, ran out of magic just before the finish line.
Aaron Ekblad
Aaron Ekblad did not handle the Stanley Cup Final well for the Panthers. While Brandon Montour is the offensive dynamo of the Panthers’ blue line, Ekblad should be the consistent two-way defenseman capable of providing near-elite offensive play when required. Instead, this Final proved to be horrid for him on the offensive and defensive side of things. In five games, he scored one goal and one assist, with the goal coming in the second period of the Golden Knights’ dominant 9-3 Stanley Cup-clinching win over the Panthers. It is important to note the injuries Ekblad played through. According to Paul Maurice, Panthers head coach, he suffered a broken foot, two separate shoulder dislocations, and a torn oblique. He does deserve credit for playing through unimaginable pain, but these injuries did not come out until after the series concluded.
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Ekblad played through a substantial amount of injuries, but he still played. Is 50 percent of Ekblad better than a replacement-level depth defenseman who is fully healthy? It is hard to say, but the choice by Ekblad, the locker room management, or whoever’s decision to have him on the ice did not lead to results warranting praise. Perhaps it is too harsh to label him as disappointing considering his injuries, however, fans were unaware of them during the Stanley Cup Final, therefore, at the time, he was disappointing. Similar to how Matthew Tkachuk was sidelined for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, myself and most others would not have criticized that decision. Instead, he accumulated 109 minutes of time on ice throughout five games, third among defensemen. Once again, he gets some credit for playing through injuries, but he is still one of six defensemen on the ice, and his play was bad and disappointing, injuries or not.
Ekblad’s so-so offensive numbers are nothing compared to his defensive metrics. He had three takeaways to 10 giveaways, with six coming in his defensive zone. His minus-2.7 expected on-ice goal differential is awful and he only blocked four total shots, which is not a great look during the biggest games of his career. He did throw nine hits, which is not bad considering he was dealing with injuries, but his low offense, defensive deficiencies, and injuries made it impossible for his team to compete with the Golden Knights while he was on the ice.
Aleksander Barkov
Aleksander Barkov did not perform like the consensus ‘underrated’ superstar he is in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. He was near a point-per-game entering the Final, scoring 14 points in 16 games during the first three rounds of the playoffs while providing excellent defense. Against the Golden Knights, his offense shriveled up. He scored one goal and one assist during the five-game series. Both points came in the Panthers’ Game 4 loss, meaning he was pointless in four out of five games. His crummy offensive output was discouraging, but his inability to pick off passes or use his stick-checking ability to his advantage was the most disappointing aspect of his play.
Barkov only had three takeaways during the Stanley Cup Final. He tied for second in takeaways among all NHL players during the playoffs with 24, trailing Mark Stone and tying William Karlsson. His seemingly passive play with his stick in the Final is a big reason why the Golden Knights had an influx of goals against a stifling Panthers defense. His on-ice expected goal differential of minus-3 proves his disappointing defensive play. Additionally, Barkov, a typical faceoff wizard, had sub-50 percent winning percentages in Games 2 and 5 – 43.8% and 43.5%, respectively. Barkov, whose offensive play left many wanting more during the Panthers’ entire playoff run, disappointed on the NHL’s brightest stage while the Golden Knights dismantled his usual Selke-level defense on a near-nightly basis.
The Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final was historic. Overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins will be a memory that will last generations. Unfortunately, the big bad Panthers ran into the bigger and badder Golden Knights, who could adapt to everything thrown at them. Panthers fans should hold their heads high despite their immeasurable disappointment. No players appear from the Golden Knights on this list, as their stars and depth showed up throughout the series. Barkov, Bobrovsky, and Ekblad are not the sole reasons the Panthers find themselves on the losing end of the Stanley Cup Final, but their contributions, or lack thereof, sunk a team that could barely swim with the Golden Knights.