The Vegas Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 7-2 on Monday at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nev., to go up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Here’s what you need to know:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
The Golden Knights have dominated play at even strength through these playoffs. They’ve needed to, losing the special teams battle most nights. That wasn’t the case on Monday, as Vegas’ special teams turned the game in its favor early. It started with a power-play goal by Marchessault to take a 1-0 lead. Then the Golden Knights killed a penalty thanks to more heroics in net by Adin Hill, and Martinez scored seconds later to extend the lead to two. If they can win — or draw even — on special teams, they’re really tough to beat. — Granger
Tkachuk tried to jumpstart his team with a booming hit on Eichel late in the second period. He caught Eichel as he carried the puck out of the Vegas zone in a high-speed collision that left Eichel limping to the Vegas dressing room. Eichel tripped just before the hit and looked to be in considerable pain as he quickly went down the tunnel, but returned for the third period where he assisted on Marchessault’s second goal of the night on his first shift back. — Granger
It’s hardly his fault and the defense has been shoddy in front of him as players keep skating themselves into screens, but the reality is Sergei Bobrovsky has gone from a Conn Smythe contender to leaking oil through two games in the Stanley Cup Final. After winning the final three games against the Bruins, Bob allowed 10 goals in five games against Toronto and six in four games against Carolina. Through 87 minutes in the Stanley Cup Final, he has allowed eight goals, and was pulled Monday for Alex Lyon after allowing four goals on 13 shots through 27:10. — Russo
Gudas, one of the hardest-hitting defenseman in the NHL, picked probably the worst forward on the Golden Knights to take a run at early in the first period in Game 2. With Vegas already getting a power play after Ryan Lomberg cross-checked Marchessault up high, Gudas went for a big hit in the neutral zone on hard-hitting winger Barbashev. The trade deadline pickup saw it coming and floored the veteran defenseman, who left the game immediately. — Russo
The Panthers dressed seven defensemen in part because Gudas entered the game banged up. Right-shot blue liner Casey Fitzgerald, the son of Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, was already making his Stanley Cup Final debut and playing in his second playoff game. That meant Florida had an extra body in its lineup. Tom Fitzgerald is a legend in South Florida, scoring the Eastern Conference final-clinching goal in Game 7 in 1996 at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. — Russo
With the win, Vegas improved to 52-33 through its first 85 playoff games. Per the NHL, only two other franchises have had as many wins through their first 85 postseason contests: the Oilers (58-27) and Islanders (53-32).
After two games, Tkachuk has the ninth-most penalty minutes (36) in the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history. The record is 53 penalty minutes.
Regarding his hit on Eichel, Tkachuk said, “I just came off the bench and saw him in the middle of the ice with his head down.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, you shouldn’t be going through the middle with your head down. You’re gonna get hit. I mean, I would get hit, too, if I had my head down in the middle.”
“Like, it’s not a big deal,” Tkachuk continued. “He’s a really good player, and really good players can get hit. I just went to the bench thinking we were going to get a power play.”
Eichel called Tkachuk’s hit a “clean check.”
“It’s a physical game,” he said. “You’re gonna get hit sometimes, so you just kinda move on.”
(Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty)
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