The Vegas Golden Knights, in just their sixth NHL season, defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in five games.
Vegas skipper Imprint Stone had an objective in every period to lead the Brilliant Knights, who joined the NHL before the 2017-2018 season.
The 31-year-old Stone turns into the primary player starting around 1922 to net a full go-around in a Stanley Cup-securing triumph, as per the NHL.
As is customary, each player took a turn hoisting the renowned trophy following the game.
Stone described the experience to TNT as “unbelievable.” One of the weirdest feelings I’ve ever had was when I just looked at my teammates’ eyes. It’s even more special to know that I did it with 25 to 30 of my closest friends.
On Tuesday night, in front of a raucous crowd both inside and outside of T-Mobile Arena, the offensive prowess of the Golden Knights was once more on full display. With their five or more goals in three or more games of the same Stanley Cup Final series, the Golden Knights became the seventh team in NHL history.
The city of Las Vegas has won two major titles in a row, including this one. With a 3-1 series victory over the Connecticut Sun, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA took home the league title in 2022.
The newly crowned champions scored four goals in the second period to take a 6-1 lead into the final 20 minutes. Vegas led 2-0 at the first intermission.
Adin Hill, the Golden Knights’ goalie, allowed two goals in the third, but he made several good stops to keep the Panthers at bay.
Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Prize as the best player in the postseason. However, he denied responsibility for the championship.
“You know, one night it’s one guy, one night it’s another guy,” he told TNT. “That’s the mentality we had this year. We’re a bunch of good teammates in that locker room. … Everybody stepped up at different times.”
Stone scored a short-handed goal with 8:08 remaining in the first period to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead as Vegas pulls away with a string of goals. Under two minutes after the fact, the puck got under Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and Vegas’ Nicolas Hague snapped it into the net for a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers were without superstar Matthew Tkachuk for Game 5, who was ruled out with a fractured sternum, making the series already difficult. Tkachuk had driven the Jaguars with 24 places and 11 objectives, including a few game-victors, in the end of the season games.
But when Aaron Ekblad scored with an assist from Nick Cousins early in the second period, the Panthers cut the lead to one. Ekblad’s second objective of the end of the season games made it 2-1 with 17:45 leftover in the second.
Alec Martinez restored a two-objective lead for the Brilliant Knights with a wrist shot that tracked down the first rate over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder. With 9:32 left in the period, it was 3-1 Brilliant Knights.
When Reilly Smith scored on a clever pass from William Karlsson to his wide-open teammate, Vegas increased its lead to three. The score was 4-1 Vegas with 7:47 left in the subsequent period.
The fifth objective for Vegas came when Stone terminated in his second on a shrewd cross-ice pass from Brett Howden with 2:45 excess before the break.
The Panthers were doomed when Smith picked up the puck at the blue line with just seconds left in the period after Florida failed to move the puck out of the defensive zone. He took care of Michael Amadio before the net and his bounce back shot streamed under Bobrovsky’s leg.
The Golden Knights’ Ivan Barbashev made it 7-1 in the third period, and Florida’s Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett scored consolation goals.
Stone scored an empty-netter to complete his hat trick as Florida used six skaters to win 8-3. Nicolas Roy then scored 9-3 with just over a minute left in the season.
The Golden Knights made it back to the championship series for the second time in their short history after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.
“That pain was, it was tough. to be honest. It took me almost couple months, a full year, to get over it cause you’re so close but so far,” said Marchessault, who has been with the team all six seasons. He said his approach changed and “look at where we are right now. Our team has been unbelievable since the beginning. And we’re winners.”
With the triumph the Brilliant Knights turned into the second-quickest establishment in the association’s cutting edge period – starting around 1943-44 – to come out on top for a title. In their fifth NHL season, the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup.
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