Many anticipated the 2023 Stanley Cup to be a close, hard-fought battle resulting in a six or seven-game series. What we ended up witnessing, however, were five games that the Vegas Golden Knights almost entirely dominated. If you are a fan of theirs, the series was enjoyable and relatively stress-free, however to everyone else, it was one of the more underwhelming matchups in recent memory. Anticipation is always high going into the Final, and the fact of the matter is that expectations are not always met. Here are the five most underwhelming Stanley Cup Finals since 2000.
5. 2017: Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat Nashville Predators 4-2
Heading into this series it looked like a lopsided matchup. The Pittsburgh Penguins had the second-most points in the NHL during the 2016-17 season and they came in as the favorites and defending Stanley Cup champions. The Nashville Predators, on the other hand, were the bottom seed in the West. They made a memorable playoff run, but they limped into the Final: both Kevin Fiala and team-leader in points Ryan Johansen sustained serious leg injuries that ended their seasons before Game 1.
The home team won each of the first five games in 2017 before the Penguins clinched the Stanley Cup in Game 6 on the road in Nashville. This series is the only one on this list that went to a sixth game; while it was not completely lopsided as the Predators were able to win twice, the games in the series were not all that exciting. In the six games of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, not a single one was decided by fewer than two goals, and the Predators were outscored 8-0 in the final two games. The 2017 Final was categorized by lopsided games that were not terribly entertaining.
4. 2007: Anaheim Ducks Defeat Ottawa Senators 4-1
The Anaheim Ducks reached their second Stanley Cup Final in five years in 2007 and defeated the Ottawa Senators four games to one. While the Senators were only able to win once, the games were more competitive than the other matchups on this list. In Game 1, the Senators held a lead in the third period before Ryan Getzlaf and Travis Moen scored to put the Ducks on top. Anaheim won Game 2 by a score of 1-0 on a Samuel Pahlsson goal with under six minutes left in the final period. The Senators were able to win Game 3, and Game 4 was tied late in the third period until Dustin Penner scored to give the Ducks the win. While the series only went to five games, some of them were exciting to watch.
Related: Ducks: Revisiting Selanne’s Game 5 Winner of 2007 West Final
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Perhaps even more underwhelming than the Senators’ failure to win more than one game was the fact that this series set records for its lack of viewership. Games 1 and 2 were broadcast on the channel Versus, which was not a mainstream channel, and Game 2 drew just 446,000 viewers. Game 3 then set NBC’s record for the lowest rating ever for a prime-time program, decreasing by 31 percent from the previous year’s Game 3. The play in this series was nothing to write home about, and it was also not watched by many people.
3. 2018: Washington Capitals Defeat Vegas Golden Knights 4-1
The Golden Knights beat the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. After that, the Capitals took complete control of the series, winning the next four games. The Golden Knights had gone out to a one-goal lead to start Game 2. Lars Eller scored to tie it late in the first period, and after that, Washington only trailed once the rest of the series (they came back from one goal down to clinch the Stanley Cup in Game 5). The storylines heading into this series created high expectations. The Golden Knights had reached the Final in their first NHL season, and Alexander Ovechkin was trying to win his first Stanley Cup. For the series to only go five games with one team winning four in a row was a letdown.
2. 2021: Tampa Bay Lightning Defeat Montreal Canadiens 4-1
The 2021 Stanley Cup Final was fairly one-sided, with the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Montreal Canadiens in a gentleman’s sweep. The series occurred under interesting circumstances, as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions only allowed the Canadiens to sell 3,500 tickets to each game at the Bell Centre, and the two Eastern Conference teams were able to play each other in the Final due to temporary conference realignment aimed at minimizing international travel.
The defending champion Lightning came into the series as favorites, and they got out to a dominant 3-0 series lead, outscoring the Canadiens 14-5 over the first three games. Game 4 was likely the most exciting game of the series. Josh Anderson scored the first goal of the game giving Montreal their first lead of the series. Tied at two after the third period, the game headed to overtime, where the Canadiens were able to kill a double-minor and Anderson ended the game with a goal minutes later, preventing them from being swept. The Lightning went on to win Game 5 by a score of 1-0 and the Stanley Cup. Though Games 4 and 5 were close, this series never hung in the balance after the Lightning went up three games to none.
1. 2023: Vegas Golden Knights Defeat Florida Panthers 4-1
This most recent Stanley Cup Final was not particularly entertaining. The Golden Knights were able to take a 2-0 series lead, winning their first two games at home by a combined score of 12-4. The Florida Panthers tried everything they could to swing the momentum back in their favor, however, the agitation and physicality that had worked so well for them in their Eastern Conference matchups didn’t phase the Golden Knights. They seemed to dominate every game; even in Game 3 when the Panthers were able to squeak out an OT win, it felt as if they needed to play a perfect game for it to even be close.
To make matters worse, the Panthers were dealing with injuries to their key players, none worse than Matthew Tkachuk’s broken sternum that kept him out of Game 5, a game that the Golden Knights won 9-3 to clinch the Stanley Cup. This series was one-sided, particularly after Tkachuk’s injury. On top of that, the Final this year lacked a captivating reason to watch. Neither team is a storied NHL franchise with a massive fanbase, and after Tkachuk was injured, there was not an electrifying player on the ice that compelled casual sports fans to turn their televisions on to watch. For people who were not invested in either team, this was likely the least memorable Stanley Cup Final in recent history.
Underwhelming Stanley Cup Finals
Each year, the Stanley Cup Final is the most anticipated event in the world of hockey. These five series all ended up being underwhelming, as each lacked the typical level of excitement we are used to seeing. In 2017, the Penguins won in six games, none of which came down to the wire. The 2007 Final contained several close games, but the Senators only managed to win one and the series was record-setting for its lack of viewership. The Capitals came out on top in a highly anticipated Stanley Cup Final in 2018, the last four games of which were one-sided. Finally, in 2021 and 2023, the Lightning and Golden Knights dominated Stanley Cup Finals that lacked the level of competitiveness we are accustomed to seeing.