The Vegas Golden Knights have captured the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup Final series. The six seasons the Golden Knights have been in the NHL is the second-fewest seasons taken to win a Stanley Cup behind only the Edmonton Oilers, who won in 1984 after five seasons in the league.
There are five players on this Golden Knights roster who have hoisted the Stanley Cup in the past, starting with Alec Martinez, who won with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2011-12 season and scored the overtime-winning goal in 2014 for the Kings to win over the New York Rangers. Next is the NHL’s Ironman Phil Kessel, who was a key contributor for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their back-to-back titles in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
Chandler Stephenson, Ivan Barbashev and Alex Pietrangelo are the most recent champions, with Stephenson winning with the Washington Capitals in 2018 against the Golden Knights, and Pietrangelo and Barbashev with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
How the Golden Knights Won Game 5
Despite a slow start from the Golden Knights, it was Mark Stone who opened the scoring while on the penalty kill just over halfway through the first period, making it the first short-handed goal in a Stanley Cup-clinching game since Patrice Bergeron did so with the Boston Bruins in 2011. The momentum continued to shift in favour of the Golden Knights and Nicholas Hague finished off a tremendous play from Jack Eichel less than two minutes later to extend their lead to 2-0.
The second period was about as dominant as the Golden Knights have been throughout the entire season, with each line coming in waves to overwhelm the Panthers’ defense and sustain pressure for almost the entirety of the period. This resulted in four goals in under ten minutes courtesy of Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith, Mark Stone, and Michael Amadio, giving them a commanding 6-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
ALEC MARTINEZ IS JUST INSANE IN THE PLAYOFFS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bwpp94hQLK
— z – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 14, 2023
To the Panthers’ credit, they didn’t back down in the third period. With the absence of Matthew Tkachuk, which was revealed to be due to a broken sternum he suffered in Game 3 following a hit from Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar, it was visibly difficult for them to find a spark. But they still managed to put up consecutive goals from Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart early in the third to make it 7-3.
Jonathan Marchessault Wins the Conn Smythe Trophy
There were so many heroic performances throughout this playoff run for the Golden Knights that it became nearly impossible to predict who would take home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the team’s most valuable player in the postseason.
Starting with Adin Hill, who is the first goalie to win 10 playoff games without starting in the first round, is the all-time career leader in playoff save percentage, and made this incredible save in Game 5 to cap off a playoff run filled with highlight-reel saves that will be immortalized in Golden Knights history.
OH MY GOSH ADIN HILL????!!!! pic.twitter.com/7UGyaq4Rtb
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 14, 2023
Then there’s Jack Eichel, who finished with three assists in this game to put himself on top of the playoff scoring race with 26 points in 22 games. With there being so much attention on Eichel over the past two seasons in his recovery from neck surgery along with his transition between Buffalo and Vegas, the pressure to perform in his first playoff appearance was incredibly high, and he exceeded all expectations.
Related: Jack Eichel in Line to Win a Stanley Cup Before Connor McDavid
However, after the votes were counted, the Professional Hockey Writers Association determined that there was no player more impactful on this Golden Knights roster throughout these playoffs than Jonathan Marchessault, who became the first undrafted player since Wayne Gretzky in 1988 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Marchessault tied Leon Draisaitl for the most goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 and was just one point behind Eichel for second in league scoring with 25. He finished with a 10-game point streak and scored all 13 of his goals in a 13-game span that started all the way back in Game 3 of their second round series against the Edmonton Oilers to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It wasn’t just the sheer amount of goals or points that made Marchessault’s run so special, but it was his consistent ability to shine in the biggest moments that set him apart from his teammates. Three of his 13 goals were game-winners, four of them were game-tying goals, and six of them gave the Golden Knights a lead in a game. There was nobody who scored more important goals for this team down the stretch, and his efforts earned him a spot in the NHL history books.
Mark Stone Finishes Stanley Cup Journey With a Hat Trick
With so many storylines that come with 82 games of regular season hockey, Mark Stone’s journey to becoming a Stanley Cup champion is one that goes beyond the 2022-23 season.
Stone has dealt with back injuries dating back to the summer of 2021, and on Jan. 31, 2023, he underwent his second back surgery in just nine months. This kept him out of the lineup for the following three months of regular season hockey and made it the second season in a row where he missed an extended period of time due to this injury.
His return to the lineup came a lot sooner than anticipated and he made an impact right away. He had two goals and an assist in Game 2 of their first round series against the Winnipeg Jets and continued to go on a six-game point streak that went into Game 2 of their second round series against the Edmonton Oilers, where he had 11 points in that span. Even more importantly, they managed to win five of those six games.
He became the first player since Babe Dye in 1922 to record a hat trick in a Stanley Cup-clinching game and also became the first captain since Joe Sakic in 2001 to have nine or more points in a Stanley Cup Final. It’s been a long and undoubtedly frustrating road for Stone to even have the opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup, and his performance in this game made all of the months of recovery and preparation worthwhile.
It’s no secret that Stone is the lifeblood of this Golden Knights team, and the emotion he displayed when scoring each goal in this game as well as when he hoisted the Stanley Cup was a testament to the emotional, mental, and physical sacrifices it takes to become a champion in this league.
Final Thoughts
There were seven different goal scorers, 15 players with at least a point, and three players with three points in this game. It’s been a collective effort from the entire roster all season long and it shouldn’t be surprising that in their biggest moment, everyone was able to contribute in a meaningful way to get over the finish line.
This was an incredibly poetic ending to an up-and-down season for the Golden Knights. Between the countless injuries, big losing streaks, big winning streaks, major acquisitions, and lineup adjustments, this team always found a way to persevere, and that’s what makes this moment so special.
