Stanley Cup: King chooses Knights

by Brandon King

The NHL season is now almost over two teams remain. The Florida Panthers will take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

The Panthers finished the season 42-32 and will make their first appearance back in the spotlight since 1996 where they got swept by the Colorado Avalanche 4-0. This Florida Panthers team was the last seed in the Eastern Conference that was eligible for a playoff spot and made some noise to get to where they are at.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights took the #1 seed after finishing the season 51-22, which is almost ten games better than their opponent. This will be the second time Vegas has made an appearance in the Finals after establishing as a team in 2017 and making a Finals appearance in their inaugural season.

The Panthers were a team everyone expected to make some noise after coming off of a season in which they were the #1 seed in the 202122 season at 58-16 and got swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning. This season the Panthers took a step back winning a few less games but making up for it by playing spoiler themselves. In the first round of this year’s playoffs, the Panthers defeated the #1 seeded and Stanley Cup favorite Boston Bruins in 7 games.

One player to keep an eye on for this Florida team is Matthew Tkachuk who plays left wing for the team and has accounted for 109 points on the season which is over 30 more than the guy behind him at 78.

The Vegas Knights, on the other hand, finished last season kind of where the Panthers did this season at 43-31 but have altered the roster and regained control of the Western Conference. After finishing the season 51-22 the Knights would roll through the playoffs going 12-5 in three rounds of play so far and most notably defeating the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the series and finishing off the series with a

6-0 shutout.

Vegas has been amazing at scoring but even more impressive is their goalie play. Adin Hill has played 11 games in the playoffs and has a .938 save rate. When he is goaltending for the Knights they are 6-1 in the playoffs.

The Knights love spreading the wealth as they had 6 players over 50 points in the season. Jack Eichel led the way with 66 name and legacy will be forever tied to Bull Durham, passed away in 2001 at the age of 82 years. and that’s in only 67 games played in the regular season. These two teams play a totally different style of hockey so by the looks of it should match up very well. With Hill’s success rate and the lack of depth for the Panthers being the thorn in their paw, the Panthers will lose the finals 4-2. The Knights will hoist their first Stanley Cup and Eichel will more than likely win finals MVP.

Library Corner

The White Haven Area Community Library has a few exciting events planned to welcome in the beginning of the summer season.

The White Haven Trout Festival, hosted by Western Pocono Trout Unlimited is this Saturday. This great event will include workshops, displays, presentations, guest speakers, activities for kids, and of course, food. There will be a fish fry in the library parking lot featuring fried fish, mac and cheese and slaw. Tickets for the Fish Fry are $12 and available at the library. Proceeds will benefit the Summer Food & Fun Program for kids. There will also be pork BBQ, beef brisket sandwiches, hot dogs, snacks, drinks and the Woods Ice Cream truck. Admission to the Trout Festival is free. Tents with displays and vendors will be outside in the Rail Yard Park with more activities inside too lots of family fun. It is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 from noon to 5 p.m On Friday, June 23, Gracie Johnson will perform in the Rail Yard Park from 7 to 10 p.m. The concert is free. Bring your own lawn chair and come enjoy the concert.

Weatherly Area Middle School 7th graders were recently shown how the State Police use drones. Students watched one drone fly over the high school. Students also learned about the history of the State Police in Pennsylvania.

Hillclimb spring event is this weekend

The 62nd Annual Weatherly Hillclimb’s spring event will be held June 10-11 in the Borough of Weatherly. About 100 drivers from up and down the East Coast and Canada try to solve the turns on the Impossible Miracle Mile.

The event begins bright and early Saturday, June 10, and goes until midafternoon Sunday, June 11. Non- profit groups from the Weatherly area will raise funds by providing a variety of delicious food. For more information, call 570-582-6292.

THURSDAY, JUNE