In a thrilling rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Saturday, closing out the pre-Christmas NHL action on a high note.
Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart were the heroes for the Panthers, each scoring power-play goals just 1:59 apart in the third period. Sam Bennett and Gustav Forsling also found the back of the net for Florida, with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Brandon Montour contributing two assists each. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 crucial saves.
Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev were the goal-scorers for Vegas, who had bested Florida in five games last spring to claim the championship. However, the Golden Knights are currently going through a challenging period, losing their third consecutive game and holding a 10-9-4 record after starting the season 11-0-1 in defense of their title.
Vegas’ netminder, Jiri Patera, put up a valiant effort with 38 saves, but it wasn’t enough to halt the Panthers’ offensive prowess. Florida had faced a slump, losing four of their last five games prior to this victory.
The Panthers made an electrifying start to the game, dominating the early shots with 15 of the first 16 attempts. When factoring in shot attempts that missed the net or were blocked in the opening 15 minutes, Florida had a staggering 29 of the game’s first 30 shots.
Carter Verhaeghe commented on their offensive efforts, stating, “We’re grinding and trying to get pucks to the net. We’re getting really good chances. Some of them aren’t going in, but it was nice to see a couple go in finally, and hopefully, we can continue that.”
The game also carried memories of last June, particularly the hit by Vegas’ Keegan Kolesar that resulted in Matthew Tkachuk sustaining a fractured sternum and missing the series. Kolesar engaged in a fight with Florida’s Ryan Lomberg in the first period, with the skirmish lasting only one punch, delivered by Lomberg. Kolesar, though initially shaken, later assisted in Vegas’ second goal.
Lomberg reflected on the fight, saying, “He gave me the chance to kind of even the score. Obviously, he’s a pretty tough customer.”
Despite the early onslaught, Jiri Patera stood tall for Vegas, denying Florida time and again. However, Mark Stone opened the scoring early in the second period. Sam Bennett equalized for Florida, and Gustav Forsling’s goal gave the Panthers the lead. Pavel Dorofeyev restored parity for Vegas, scoring with just 22.3 seconds remaining in the second period.
Carter Verhaeghe’s power-play goal from the high slot just 17 seconds into the third period reclaimed the lead for Florida, and Sam Reinhart secured the victory with an insurance goal about two minutes later, with Tkachuk effectively screening Patera on the play.
Vegas concluded a challenging 0-3-0 road trip to Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida. Mark Stone acknowledged the need for a break, saying, “It’s probably a good time for the break. This wasn’t our best road trip by any means. We didn’t play enough 60-minute hockey in those three games, but we’ve been through adversity before and we’ve got to come out of the other side of the break rested and recovered.”