The Golden Knights became the first men's professional sports team in Las Vegas and Nevada to win a league championship in their sport. They ended up being the second fastest National Hockey League expansion franchise to capture the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers did it in five seasons while Vegas accomplished it in six seasons.
The Panthers finished off their second trip to the Stanley Cup Final and are now 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs championship round. The Cats were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in four games back in 1996.
Vegas moved out to a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal with 8:08 left in the first period. Mark Stone picked up a drop pass outside the Golden Knights blue line. He skated through the left circle to the top of the crease and put in a forehand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his ninth goal of the postseason. It was the first time during the Stanley Cup that Vegas had a shorthanded tally.
It became 2-0 for the Golden Knights with 6:19 remaining in the first. Jonathan Marchessault made a touch pass from his own zone. Jack Eichel carried the puck diagonally from the right circle and through the slot area. He flipped a backhanded a shot from the left of the crease which was saved. Nicolas Hague poked in the puck into the cage from the blue paint.
Florida closed it to 2-1 at the 2:15 mark of the second period. Nick Cousins stole the puck from Iven Barbashev on the right wing. Aaron Ekblad released a wrist shot from the right point by Adin Hill for his second goal of the playoffs.
Vegas made it 3-1 with 9:32 remaining in the period. Alex Pietrangelo connected a long lead pass from his own crease to Eichel at the Florida blue line. He dropped the puck back from the right wing and Alec Martinez took a snap shot from the top right circle for his second tally of the postseason.
VGK extended it to 4-1 with 7:47 to go in the second. Shea Theodore sent a forehand shot from the top of the zone which was stopped by traffic. William Karlsson backhanded the puck between his legs in the low slot with a square pass and former Panthers player Reilly Smith snapped a shot from the low slot for his fourth goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Golden Knights made it a four-goal margin 5-1 with 2:45 left in the second. Chandler Stephenson dropped the puck back from the right circle and Brett Howden sent a cross-ice pass. Stone fired a one-time slap shot from the top left circle for his second goal of the game and 10th goal of the playoffs.
There was a last-second goal by Vegas with 1.2 seconds to go and they led 6-1. Smith intercepted a clearing pass by Radko Gudas on the right point. He advanced the puck with a backhand pass from above the right circle. Michael Amadio had his deflected shot in the crease area saved, but he scored on the rebound from the blue paint for his fifth goal of the postseason.
In the third period, VGK expanded the lead to 6-1 at 8:22. A slap shot by Shea Theodore from the top of the zone was blocked by a defender. Eichel backhanded a shot from the high slot and Barbashev poked in the rebound from the top of the crease for his seventh goal.
The Panthers answered back just 25 seconds later and trailed 7-2. Brandon Montour kept the puck in the zone on the right point and Sam Bennett angled a pass to his left. Sam Reinhart rifled a slap shot from the top right circle for his eighth goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Cats cut the deficit to 7-3 with 8:21 remaining in the frame. Reinhart cycled the puck around teh boards from the end wall. Gustav Forsling passed across from the left point and Bennett collected his fifth goal of the playoffs on a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone.
Florida pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 6:43 to go. Stone completed a hat trick 49 seconds later as he shot the puck from his own slot area for his 11th goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an 8-3 lead.
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