One question heading into the Stanley Cup Finals will be whether the Vegas Golden Knights’ Aiden Hill can continue his good game and keep up with the Florida Panthers’ hot goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
The answer was yes in Game 1 as the Golden Knights beat the Panthers 5-2 on Saturday night, with Hill saving the playoff win over Florida’s Nick Cousins in the first minute of the game-tying second period. . Bobrovsky, who was 11-1, had 33 saves for 29 runs.
The Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in the inaugural 2017-18 season, three wins away from their first championship. The second game is Monday night in Las Vegas (8 pm ET, TNT).
The Golden Knights got goals from 2017-18 team members Jonathan Marchessault, Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith, and Zach Whitecloud and Mark Stone to make up for goals from Florida’s Eric Staal and Anthony Duclair.
A look at Game 1:
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Brilliant save by Hill by the Golden Knights
Hill was busy in the first period, making eight saves, overcoming Stalin’s encircling goal and getting involved in a scrum.
But he saved the best for the second half. Cousins had a wide-open net to sink the puck in after a tic-tac-toe pass play, but Hill reached up and tucked the heel of his club into the shot. Cousins had another chance, but Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo broke up the play.
“What you dream about when you grow up is to accumulate big savings,” Hill told TNT. “It was good. I was a bit desperate. I took out my rod and took a piece.
Hill and Cousins were involved in a first period scrum, although Cousins received the only penalty in the exchange.
As the Panthers tried to get back into the game, Hill stopped Sam Reinhart on a short-handed breakaway with 2:07 left in the third period.
Eric Staal of the Panthers opened the scoring, but the Golden Knights came from behind
Cousins was in the penalty box when the Panthers came on the board to break a scoreless tie. Staal received a pass from Anton Lundel at a 3-on-2 break, went behind the net, and scored on a return at 9:40 of the first period.
Staal, 38, played in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals with the Montreal Canadiens and last scored in the championship round on June 14, 2006, during the Carolina Hurricanes’ title run.
It was 8-0 in the playoffs when Florida scored first, but Vegas’ Marchessault tied the game with 2:42 remaining in the first period when the Golden Knights’ power play connected. It was Marchald’s tenth goal in his last 11 games.
Theodore’s second-period goal and Whitecloud’s third-period game-winner were the fourth and fifth Golden Knights defense scoring in the playoffs. Florida’s Duclair tied the game 10 seconds into the second period.
Stone’s goal was considered if he first hit the puck with a high stick. A well deserved goal ensured the Panthers left the team 4-2 due to a failed challenge.
“I think they’re excited to get us in the (penalty) box one more time,” Panthers coach Paul Morris quipped of the quick review. “I thought that was fast.”
grades
The Golden Knights also won the opener in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, then lost four in a row to the Washington Capitals. … Panthers fall to 0-5 in franchise Finals history. But Morris reminded reporters that the Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0, 3-1 in the first round. “Everyone needs to breathe,” he said.