Golden Knights rally in third to tip Panthers in Stanley Cup final opener
By Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press on June 3, 2023.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Zach Whitecloud scored from long-range with just over 13 minutes left, after Adin Hill made arguably the best save of the playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. Whitecloud’s goal put Vegas ahead, a crucial penalty kill followed and captain Mark Stone scored an insurance marker that was reviewed for a high stick and confirmed. That combination, plus Hill’s 31 saves, gave Vegas the lead in the series after a feisty opener between Sun Belt teams who wasted little time getting acquainted with big hits during the play and plenty of post-whistle pushing and shoving. Original Knights players Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore also scored on Florida’s two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky. Back in the final, they’ll now try to avoid the same result as in 2018, when Vegas beat Washington in Game 1 and lost the next four to fall short of hoisting the Cup in its inaugural season. Game 2 is Monday in Las Vegas. — Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno — AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 9-8
