Golden Knights draw first blood in Stanley Cup showdown with 5-3 Game 1 win over Panthers
Ruthless Golden Knights draw first blood in Stanley Cup showdown as underdogs beat Florida Panthers 5-2 in Game 1
The Vegas Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in their quest for the Stanley Cup on Saturday night.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill made arguably the playoff save as he reached out and reached out his stick to prevent Florida’s Nick Cousin from scoring.
Zach Whitecloud scored from long range with just over 13 minutes remaining to put Vegas ahead, a crucial penalty kill followed and captain Mark Stone scored an insurance goal which was judged to be a high stick and confirmed.
That combination, plus Hill’s 31 saves, gave Vegas the series lead after a spirited opener between Sun Belt teams who wasted little time learning big hits during the game and plenty of shoving and shoving after the whistle.
Original Knights players Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore also scored off Florida’s two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
Back in the Finals, they are now trying to avoid the same result they did in 2018, when Vegas defeated Washington in Game 1 and lost the next four to fail to win the Cup in its first season.
The Golden Knights will look to extend their series lead into Game 2 in Sin City on Monday.
More to follow.
The Vegas Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers on Saturday