Cup in Six: How Vegas Golden Knights clinched first Stanley Cup in franchise history

Florida Panthers and the injury bug (Matthew Tkachuk specifically)

Matthew Tkachuk wouldn’t have made a difference in Game 5. But he could’ve helped. The center suffered a broken sternum during Game 3 against Vegas. He played through the pain. He scored the game-tying goal in the final minutes to force overtime. He played in game 4. But it ultimately became too risky, which is saying something.

“The next day after the full game that he played off it…he didn’t dress for the game,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said, via The Hockey News. “Somebody helped him get his gear on; somebody tied his skates. Somebody put his sweater on for him.

“But the next day, when he came in, he was in significant pain, so it wasn’t really a question whether they be able to play or not.”

Aaron Ekblad broke his foot during the first round against Boston. Ekblad also played through a torn oblique muscle and dislocated his shoulder twice.

“There’s no stopping now, no stopping here,” Ekblad said, via The Hockey News. “It’s a bump in the road, and it stings now. We’ll find a way to come back next year and be stronger because of it. How could you not go through what we went through this year?”

Sam Bennett hurt his shoulder twice. Radko Gudas was dealing with a high ankle sprain which would sideline other athletes for 4-6 weeks. But he played through it. Brandon Montour played with a torn labrum in his shoulder. According to Maurice, multiple players experienced bone fractures during the playoffs. Some will miss the start of next season.

“We had four broken bones, we’ve got three shoulders that are going to have to get taken care of, we’ve got oblique tears,” he said. “It’s not an excuse. We don’t need one. These guys earned the right. They gave everything they had.”