Florida Panthers Fall to Vegas Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Final’s Opening Game

A late-game strike from Zach Whitecloud, following what many are calling the playoff’s top save from Adin Hill, paved the way for the Vegas Golden Knights to clinch a 5-2 victory against the Florida Panthers in Saturday night’s Stanley Cup Final opener.

Whitecloud’s goal secured the lead for Vegas, an important penalty kill swiftly ensued, and team captain Mark Stone landed an additional goal. This goal, confirmed after scrutiny for a high stick, along with Hill’s 33 saves, gave Vegas a series advantage after a spirited first match that witnessed both Sun Belt teams quickly adjusting to high-intensity play and post-whistle skirmishes.

Original Knights members, Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore, also marked scores against Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida’s double Vezina winner.

The subsequent game is scheduled for Monday in Las Vegas.

The Panthers ramped up their aggressive play towards the end of the game after falling behind by two goals. The consequent penalties resulting from a late-game brawl left the Florida bench severely depleted.

However, the game’s result had been essentially decided by then.

Trailing after a life-draining short-handed goal from Eric Staal that silenced the 18,432-strong crowd, the Golden Knights staged a comeback, marking their ninth of the playoffs. Marchessault, known for scoring significant goals since joining the Vegas franchise, responded before the close of the first period, while Theodore added his first score since March 7 in the second period.

Between these scores, Hill executed an extraordinary stick save denying Nick Cousins a certain goal, reminiscent of the save Braden Holtby made against Vegas five years ago.

Despite a tying goal from Anthony Duclair with only 10.2 seconds remaining in the second period, the Golden Knights’ momentum barely faltered. Whitecloud’s goal, with Bobrovsky effectively blindfolded and unable to see, ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm once again.

The Golden Knights are making their second appearance in the final in their six-year history, following their inaugural season’s entry. While they won the opening match in 2018, they eventually lost the series to Washington in five games. Six of the original team members remain.

In contrast, the Panthers are in the Cup final for the first time since 1996. Their last run ended in a sweep by Colorado 27 years ago, a mere 18 months before their current leading scorer, Tkachuk, was born.

This match marks the 66th unique pairing in Cup final history and the 46th since the expansion era kicked off in 1967-68. It’s only the third instance since the millennium began where the final features two teams yet to secure a league championship.

For more information, follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

AP NHL playoffs: https://bigbignews.netstanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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