The Vegas Golden Knights continued their dominant run in the Stanley Cup Final, taking a 2-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in Game 2 with a commanding 7-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena. The Knights' offense has been nothing short of unstoppable in the NHL's season showcase, with nine different goal scorers finding the back of the net in the first two games of the series. This sets an NHL record for the most goals by a team in the opening two contests of a final.
Golden Knights star Jonathan Marchessault, who previously played for the Florida Panthers, continued his scoring tear with a two-goal performance in Game 2. He tallied the opening score of the game for the Golden Knights with a power-play goal and would later net his second of the match to put the Knights up 5-2 in what became an all-but-secured victory. After failing to score in the Golden Knights' first five postseason games, Marchessault now has 12 goals in the team's last 12 fixtures, setting a franchise record for most goals in a single postseason.
It was not just Marchessault who had a big night, though. Brett Howden scored twice for Vegas, and Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy, and Michael Amadio each added one goal to secure the blowout victory over the Panthers. With nine different goal scorers in the final so far, the Knights are proving they have depth on their roster, which could be a crucial factor for them as they push towards their first ever Stanley Cup. Marchessault credits the team's setup for their success, saying, "we know we have depth, we know if we roll four lanes and get good forecheck, we'll get rewarded." He added that the team's discipline has been "unbelievable," pointing out that the Panthers wanted to set the tone with undisciplined play in Game 1, but the Knights set the tone back.
Sponsored
With their victory in Game 2, the Golden Knights now have a 2-0 lead in the series and are just two games away from winning their first ever Stanley Cup. According to the NHL, teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven hold a series record of 347-55 (.863), and teams with a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup final have gone on to win the cup 90.6% of the time (48-5). The Panthers will look to get back in the series when Game 3 takes place on Thursday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
