*Photo from CNN*
Vegas wins series 4-2
One of the NHL's newest teams is now at the top of the league. Mark Stone scored 3 goals, Jack Eichel had 3 assists, and the Vegas Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 9-3 on Tuesday night in Vegas.
The Golden Knights entered the league 6 years ago and took the hockey world by storm, making the Stanley Cup Final in their first year, ultimately falling short to the Washington Capitals. This time, they took advantage of the chance, dispatching the Panthers in 5 games to win the Cup that evaded them in their first season.
Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said that "I remember game 4 we wanted to bring it back home and get a chance to win it at home. And we did. Our team delivered tonight. We were dominating the whole game. I was just so proud to do it in front of our fans. It's a moment I'll never forget."
Stone paced the Golden Knights on the scoresheet with a hat trick, while Eichel and defenseman Shea Theodore had 3 assists. Reilly Smith also had a goal and an assist for Vegas, who scored 7 of their 9 goals in the final two periods.
To start the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy paid homage to the brief history of the team. 5 of the original members of the team, that being Marchessault, Smith, and William Karlsson as the forwards, with Theodore and Brayden McNabb on defense. The 6th one, William Carrier, played the second shift of the game.
It was Stone who started the scoring for Vegas. He scored shorthanded 11:52 into the game to make it 1-0 on his 9th goal of the playoffs. Quickly after that, Nicolas Hague made it 2-0 at the 13:41 mark of the first, assisted by Marchessault and Eichel on his second goal of the playoffs.
Aaron Ekblad scored 2:15 into the second for the Panthers, making it a 2-1 game. Alec Martinez then scored for Vegas, making the lead 3-1 on his second goal of the playoffs. Smith then found the back of the net to make it a 4-1 game. Stone then scored his second goal of the night, followed by a goal from Michael Amadio to make it 6-1 after two periods.
Ivan Barbashev scored 8:22 into the 3rd period to pad the Vegas lead to 7-1. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett followed with goals for the Panthers, making the score 7-3. With the net empty at the 14:06 mark of the 3rd, Stone completed the hat trick to make it 8-3. Nicolas Roy then scored with 1:02 left to make it 9-3 and give Vegas their first Stanley Cup.
After the game, Cassidy said that "The first goal is huge for us. We didn't start great. You could see a little bit of nerves and Florida was on us. What a great save from Hill and it led to a short-handed goal. It kind of let us breathe a little bit."
Getting the start in goal was Adin Hill, who came into the playoffs in game 3 of the second round after Laurent Brossoit went down injured. Hill then went on the run of his life, and in game 5, made 32 saves on 35 shots to secure the Stanley Cup for Vegas. Oh, he's a pending UFA as well.
Hill said of the team's performance that "When we got the third and fourth goal, that was pretty nuts. It was pretty surreal. Our team showed that ability all year with our depth, the ability to take over a game. It doesn't matter what line is out there, we can just dominate shifts like that. We did it back to back and scored on both. That changed the whole course of the game right there."
Winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the MVP of the playoffs, was Marchessault. It was a fitting end, as Marchessault and Smith were left exposed by the Panthers prior to the Vegas expansion draft. Vegas ended up with both, and both players were big factors in the Stanley Cup Final.
Marchessault was a deserving winner for the Conn Smythe. His 13 goals tied for the lead in the playoffs, while his 25 points in 22 games put him in second in points. In the Stanley Cup Final, he had 4 goals and 4 assists in 5 games and ended the playoffs on a 10 game point streak.
Asked about his big postseason, Marchessault said that "I wasn't happy with my first round, but at the end of day, we found a way to win hockey games, and a bunch of guys stepped up at the right time, and I wanted to contribute and help my team win hockey games, and we were still doing it without me producing. That was one of the things that happen in this year's playoffs in every round, there was always somebody stepping up, and it was great. Honestly, you don't get here with one or two guys, you get here with a full effort of the organization, and it's something you can really be proud of."
For the Panthers, an improbable playoff run ends in disappointment in the Cup Final. They made it farther than the hockey world anticipated as the last team to make the playoffs, knocking off plenty of juggernauts along the way.
Starting in net for the Panthers was Sergei Bobrovsky, who also saw his improbable run end. Bobrovsky was overwhelmed from the start in game 5, allowing 8 goals on 31 shots, posting a paltry .742 save percentage in the season ending loss.
Bobrovsky said of his team that "It was a privilege for me to play with them and fight with them. It’s definitely tough to lose that way and end the season that way. But we have done a fantastic job and I want to stick to that."
With the Stanley Cup Final now decided, the offseason begins for the entire NHL, with the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency right around the corner at the end of June.
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