OPINION: Stanley Cup Finals: A new team in the books

By: Cristina Hauerstein

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers make it to the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, and it will be either teams first cup and the Panther's second apperance in the finals as well as the Knights. Despite that, a Florida team has made it to the Stanley Cup finals 4 years in a row now, winning 2 of them, and maybe 3 by the end of the month.

The Knights take on the Winnipeg Jets in the first round and they won in 5 games; then in the second round they played the Edmenton Oilers, winning the series in 6 games; and the third round they played the Dallas Stars for 6 games. The Dallas Stars did have the chance to win a 3-0 comeback but they were unable to pull through during game 6. Now, they face the Florida panthers. The Panthers won against the Boston Bruins in 7 games, proving certain dominance in the beginning of the playoffs, especially against a team that was certain to win; the second round they beat Toronto in 5 games; the third round they swept Carolina in 4 games.

Both teams have proven the whole league they are deserving to win the cup, no matter how long it takes them to win 16 and the cup, but we all know the cup favorite.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a fairly new team, who made it to the finals in 2018, during their first year, but were beat by the Washington Capitals. That's something that has bothered fans around the league. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers have been around for longer and despite having a rough start to their season, their pevious seasons have proven their worth to earn a spot on the cup, like winning the presidents' trophy in 2021.

Despite the hate for Vegas, they are also a very valuable team with valuable players, like Jack Eichel and Jonathan Quick, who deserves a cup after being betrayed by their former team, the LA Kings, traded him during the trade deadline without any warning. This team has made it to the playoffs 5 of the last 6 years and it's obvious they have the skill and motivation to win.

I believe Florida has had the tougher opponents this year and that Vegas was lucky. Florida went against the strongest teams in the west and still one, sweeping one of them, which no one expected, while the Knights were unable to do so during the whole of the playoffs, and lost a 3-2 lead against Dallas. The cup winner is obvious to me, but it is also known that anything can happen in the hockey world.