In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Nights exchanged body punches in the first two periods.
Golden Knights gained the last punch.
The Panthers were handed a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The game got away from the Panthers in the third period.
“It was a very good game, a very competitive game. It was a fun atmosphere,” two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. “It was a great game. It was two good teams competing for the win. We’re going to go on.”
Florida Panthers are taking their talents to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996
Bobrovsky downplayed any reason for concern in the final for the first time after stopping 29 of 34 shots and losing for just the second time in 12 games this postseason.
Despite a long break in between games, the Panthers showed little rust early on.
Vegas rallied from an early deficit, got the go-ahead goal from Zach Whitecloud with just over 13 minutes left, and arguably the play of Game 1, a playoff save from Adin Hill.
Eric Staal’s opening goal for the Panthers in the first period marked just the third time in NHL history that the Stanley Cup Final’s first goal has been shorthanded.
“I felt it was pretty competitive. Obviously, we’ve got to learn a little bit with the penalties. That’s too many,” Staal said. “You can’t take that many penalties at this time of the year and expect success offensively. It’s tough. It’s tight out there. I think we can learn from some of that.”
Having won 11 of their previous 13 games, Panthers certainly aren’t hitting the panic button.
The Panthers are back playing for the Cup for the first time since 1996. Florida got swept by Colorado in that final 27 years ago, 18 months before Matthew Tkachuk, the team’s leading scorer these playoffs, was born.
The Panthers will look to even up the best-of-seven series when they face off against the Knights in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
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