Golden Knights power past Panthers 5-2

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Golden Knights rode away with the Game 1 victory over the Florida Panthers following a three-goal third period. Vegas got the 5-2 win in front of a crowd of 18,432 people at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

PREGAME

VGK head coach Bruce Cassidy said the team was ready for Game 1.

"We had success right out of the gate. I think we were 13-2 early on so you're thinking right away the team has a chance to be good," Cassidy told reporters before the game. "We got some injuries but we got ourselves back together and here we are. It went by quick."

Players like Zach Whitecloud and Keegan Kolesar said the team has gelled together this season, which will has led to their success.

"We knew we were going to be better. I think it was [an] unfortunate string of injury luck that we had the year before but we knew we wanted to be in a better position this year," said Kolesar. "We wanted to take it to heart this year and that's how we've gotten to this position."

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"Once you get in the playoffs and play games, you can just kind of taste it," Whitecloud said. "Once you get that taste, it keeps on rolling. That brings camaraderie in the ground, knowing that you can get the job done each game, each series, and win in different ways."

Cassidy said the first 10 minutes would play an important role in how the rest of the game panned out.

"The time off, to me, you may or may not lose a bit of your competitive instincts and by that, I mean pinches and puck battles below the goal line, stuff that's hard to replicate in practice," Cassidy said. "We've had two good days of practice. The time in between games was equal to our last series so I think the routine has been good but you don't know until you get out there."

Several Misfits also joined in on the fun. Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, and William Karlsson have never missed a playoff game as Golden Knights including Saturday, which was their 84th playoff game with Vegas.

FIRST PERIOD

Florida had several chances to score early on but Vegas goaltender Adin Hill was a wall and able to keep the puck from finding the back of net. Hill made another key save 8:30 into the game and a fight erupted on the ice. That's after Panthers center Nick Cousins pushed Hill. Cousins got a two-minute penalty for roughing, which put the Golden Knights on its first power play of the night. However, they were unable to convert and score.

At 9:40, Florida got the first goal of the night. The Golden Knights turned over the puck to the Panthers followed by Florida defenseman Marc Staal wrapping around the back of the net to get the puck past the outstretched stick of Hill for a short-handed goal. Vegas only allowed three short-handed goals in the regular season but in playoffs, the team has allowed two. According to the NHL, that was the first time since 1997 that the first goal in a Stanley Cup Final was a short-handed goal.

Florida then went on the power play after VGK forward William Carrier was called for roughing against Matthew Tkachuk deep in the offensive zone. That was 11:42 into the period but the Panthers were unable to pounce on the opportunity. In playoff games this season, Florida was 8-0 when the team scores first.

Vegas went back on the power play after Panthers' defenseman Josh Mahura was called for interference against William Karlsson at 16:27. Chandler Stephenson was heading behind the net but got a pass past a pair of Panthers to find Jonathan Marchessault who rippped a shot to the back of the net to knot things up at one.

That would be the last goal of the period with Vegas and Florida tied at one.

SECOND PERIOD

Hill made an incredible save just 1:25 into the second period after an insane stretch allows his stick to barely block a shot on goal by Cousins. The save led to fans at The Fortress chanting Adin! Adin! Adin!

The Golden Knights got its third power play of the night after Mahura tripped Kolesar. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky saved three close shots by Reilly Smith, Ivan Barbashev, and Mark Stone. However, Florida was able to kill the power play with Vegas unable to score. Up to that point, Vegas had 14 shots on goal compared to Florida's 11 and the money line sat at VGK -135, Panthers +105.

Hill made two more big blocks after Florida center Sam Bennett tried to punch one through. However, it was Vegas who got on the board next. At 9:06 in the second, Shea Theodore was able to bury a wrister through traffic to find the back of the net for his first goal of the postseason. Theodore is VGK's career leader among defensemen in playoff goals, assists and points.

The new money line after that goal is VGK -360, Florida +280, according to DraftKings.

With just 10.2 seconds to go in the second period, the Panthers found a way to tie it up. Anthony Duclair was able to sneak the puck under the legs of Hill off the faceoff. After that goal, the money line was updated to VGK -130, Florida +100, according to DraftKings.

THIRD PERIOD

The Golden Knights were able to once again break the tie and score first after Whitecloud waited a split second to line up the shot in front of the net to make it 3-2.

Captain Mark Stone tacked on another massive goal for the Golden Knights. With 6:19 left in the game, Mark Stone used his stick to knock down a Panthers pass out of the air. Then he ripped one past Bobrovsky to give VGK a 4-2 advantage. Florida challenged the goal and claimed it was a high stick. However, the referees didn't agree. The goal stood and the Panthers were given a game delay penalty, which put Vegas back on the power play.

With 4:24 left in the game, another scuffle happened. Tkachuk went after Alex Pietrangelo before punching Hague in the face. Tkachuk was given a double-minor for roughing and misconduct. That was a 10-minute penalty and he headed to the locker room. Bennett was also penalized for roughing against Hague and Stephenson was given a two-minute penalty for misconduct.

Vegas put it away with only 1:45 left in the game. Florida pulled their goaltender to have an extra man on the ice. That's when Jack Eichel was able to find Reilly Smith who scored the empty net goal to make it 5-2.

That would be the last goal of the night as the Golden Knights were able to take Game 1 over the Panthers. According to ESPN, VGK is ranked third on the all-time list when it comes to comebacks in a single postseason. So far this season, Vegas has had nine.

POSTGAME

After the game, players said having one win under their belt was great but it's too early to get ahead of themselves.

"I felt like a lot of us felt more comfortable tonight and it showed in our game and the way we attacked," said Theodore. "We had a great second period and we wanted to build off that."

That second period included the monster save by Hill who ended up making 33 saves on the night.

"They were kind of playing through a screen. [The puck] flew across and I saw the puck being thrown back door and Cousins was there," Hill said. "I threw the stick, caught it with my paddle, and it felt good."

Cassidy said that save also energized the bench.

"That's an unreal save. That's a game-changer. You need those saves at key moments," Cassidy said. "We didn't play our best game in front of him. Eventually, we found a rhythm and we didn't have to be perfect but that was a big save."

Cassidy added that while the team didn't play a perfect game, they were able to keep their emotions in check to pull out a win.

"[The Panthers] generated some good looks so it's not like we played this perfect period," Cassidy said. "I think it showed late in the game where we were able to keep our discipline and get to the end of the game. As the series goes on, there's opportunities to be physical and get squared away within the rules of the law. I think tonight was a good example from our guys when it comes to discipline but it's been there all year. We're not a heavily penalized team. We're good in that area."

The team said heading into Game 2, there are things to work on.

"We'd like to get ahead early and get the lead. That's when we play our best hockey," Stone said. "We don't get rattled. We don't change. We stick to what makes us successful. We can't let the momentum swings get too drastic."

The teams will return to The Fortress to do battle in Game 2 on Monday night. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5 p.m.