The Vegas Golden Knights dominated the Florida Panthers 7-2 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights are now ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Vegas tied a Stanley Cup Final record with 12 goals in the first two games.
Florida will host Game 3 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. The Panthers have not participated in a Stanley Cup Final home game since 1996 at Miami Arena.
Vegas jumped out to a 1-0 lead with the man advantage at the 7:05 mark of the first period. Jack Eichel passed from the left corner to the left wing and Chandler Stephenson backhanded a cross-ice pass to the right side. Jonathan Marchessault snapped a shot from the top right circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 11th goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He now has nine goals in his last nine games.
The Golden Knights expanded it to 2-0 with 2:01 left in the first. Marchessault banked the puck off the end wall. Ivan Barbashev angled a diagonal pass back from the low right circle. Alec Martinez put in a snap shot from the inner left circle for his first tally this postseason.
It became a three-goal margin for Vegas at 2:59 of the second period. William Carrier carried the puck from his own blue line, through the neutral zone and dropped it at the left point. Nicolas Roy carried it through the left circle into the left corner. He came out of there and scored on a wrist shot from the low left circle for his second goal of the playoffs. Zach Whitecloud was credited with a secondary assist on the play.
Vegas increased it 4-0 at the 7:10 mark of the second. Stephenson made a square pass at the right point. Mark Stone connected a cross-ice pass from the top left circle to Brett Howden. He skated through the slot area, faked a forehand shot and steered in a backhand shot from the top of the crease for his second goal of the Stanley Cup Final and fourth in the postseason. VGK had scored seven unanswered goals against the Cats at this point of the series.
The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky from the game and replaced him with Alex Lyon. Bobrovsky surrendered four goals on just 13 Vegas shots.
Florida broke the shutout 14 seconds into the third period. Anthony Duclair fired a shot from close range off the blocker of Adin Hill. Anton Lundell then took a forehand shot from the inner left circle that deflected off two Vegas defender and into the cage for his second goal of the playoffs.
The Golden Knights responded and made it 5-1 at 2:10. Eichel sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing. Marchessault raced in from the high slot, went to the low slot and got his second goal and third point of the contest.
VGK brought it back to a five-goal gap with 9:27 remaining in the third. William Karlsson skated with the puck down the right side out of the Golden Knights zone, through center ice and to the right of the crease. He backhanded an angled drop pass to the middle and Michael Amadio tapped in the puck from the low slot for his fourth goal.
The Panthers cut it to 6-2 with 7:16 to go in the period. Josh Mahura sent a lead diagonal pass in the neutral zone to Sam Bennett on the right side. He entered the Vegas, went to the right faceoff circle and backhanded a shot which was saved. Matthew Tkachuk followed with a forehand shot from the inner left circle for his 10th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Vegas extended it to 7-2 with 2:08 left in the third. Carrier centered the puck from the right corner and it was touched by Amadio at the inner right circle. Howden streaked in and fired a snap shot from the high slot by Lyon.
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