The Realm Is Unknighted

Photo credit to Jeff Speer / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

TAMPA - After a perfect display of dominance, the Vegas Golden Knights have secured their first Stanley Cup Championship.

The Golden Knights, who held their commanding 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers, put on a perfect game, beating the Panthers 9-3. From the first faceoff, the Golden Knights displayed their hunger for the cup, as they were able to control the puck, maintain possession, and dominate the pace of the game.

The Golden Knights' offensive firepower was nothing short of remarkable. The captain, Mark Stone, scored first almost halfway through the first period, followed by Nicolas Hague only a few minutes later.

Aaron Ekblad cut the Golden Knights' lead in half, scoring 2:15 into the second period. However, it would not be long before Vegas turned up the heat.

After the Ekblad goal, the Vegas Golden Knights scored four more goals, showing a tremendous display of skill and dominance, ending the second period with a tremendous 6-1 lead.

If you were Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, what would you say to your team to keep them in the fight, knowing that they were just 20 minutes away from defeat?

The Panthers came out of the tunnel for the third period with fire and grit, as they were able to pressure the Golden Knights, taking 21 shots at Vegas goaltender Adin Hill. However, the next goal would not be from the Panthers, but the Golden Knights, as Ivan Barbashev scored the first goal of the third period for Vegas, bringing their lead to 7-1.

Panthers fans were seen putting their heads down, defeated, but the heads of the players stayed up, as Sam Reinhart scored after Barbashev. There was still heart in the players of the Panthers. After over three minutes, Sam Bennett would score again for the Panthers, as the score became 7-3.

With all the shots the Panthers took at the net, it looked like one had to go in, as Adin Hill was swarmed, but Hill’s prowess between the pipes was nothing short of remarkable, as no pucks crossed the goal line.

If the heads of the Panthers’ players didn’t fall then, they would fall with the next Golden Knights goal, scored by the captain Mark Stone, as he scored a hat trick. This would be the first hat trick in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1996, when Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche scored a hat trick against then Panthers’ goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

After the Mark Stone hat trick, the T-Mobile Arena erupted, as “We want the cup” chants broke out. Nicolas Roy would have the final goal of the night, putting the final nail in the coffin and cementing the legacy of the Golden Knights’ redemption, capturing their first Stanley Cup after failing to capture it in 2018 against the Washington Capitals.

With Vegas capturing the Stanley Cup, they became the second fastest team to win it as an expansion team. The first was the Philadelphia Flyers in 1973-1974 season. Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Stanley Cup Champions: The Vegas Golden Knights.