Panthers Will Extend Series

Panthers vs. Golden Knights, 8:00 ET

Well, we've reached what could be the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. So far, we've won three of our plays and dropped just the first play of the series. This has been a phenomenal playoff run and a great NHL season as I picked it up a few months into it with just one play a day. I'm sad to see it end, but looking forward to ending with a unit win. Let's take a look at how we should play Game 5 between the Panthers and Golden Knights.

The last two games have been a bit marred by some issues with the officiating. It has been inconsistent to say the least and hasn't been very entertaining either. All of the stoppages disrupt the rhythm of the game. The last game ended very chippy between the two squads as well. The Panthers were working extremely hard to score before the end of the game and they were getting decent looks and kept playing aggressive. The goalie, Aidan Hill, stopped the puck over and over then got into a tussle with one of the Panthers players. As the final buzzer sounded, all players on the ice were basically in a fight with each other. That could spill over into this game, but I do give hockey players a bit more credit because it seems like they don't have grudges the same way other sports do. The Golden Knights are now one win away from the cup and they are headed back to Vegas.

The Panthers are in a do-or-die situation and this writer thinks they will "do" (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

This series really has been all Golden Knights. I have to say the Panthers are lucky that they weren't swept. Game 3 saw the Panthers get kind of lucky with a deflection into the goal in overtime. They have struggled all series with allowing penalties, and can't score when they have a power play. The Golden Knights now have the chance to close it out at home. If you recall their last series though it wasn't easy for them to do. They were up 3-0 on the Stars and allowed two losses to them before finally winning it in six games. The last one is often the hardest. How can the Panthers make it tough? Well, they need to throw the kitchen sink at the Golden Knights. They have to be aggressive and can't spend minutes setting up plays, they need to get good looks and hope for a deflection. That's how they scored their second goal in Game 3.

I'm taking the Panthers in this game. Maybe it is a gut feeling here, but I think the Panthers are going to push this as much as possible. They are a good team, even if they haven't looked like they stand a chance against Vegas in this series. Anything can happen in hockey, and the Golden Knights have played better offensively, defensively, and goalie play, but I like the Panthers in this one.

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