Published Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 | 2:46 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 | 7:44 p.m.
End of game: Golden Knights take down Panthers for 1st time since 2023 Stanley Cup Final
On Sunday, inside T-Mobile Arena, it was a joyous feeling of déjà vu as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 4-1.
It’s the Golden Knights’ first win over the Panthers since they defeated them in Game 5 of the 2023 Final to win the Stanley Cup at home.
Brayden McNabb broke the ice, scoring off a slap shot five minutes into the game for the lead. Tanner Pearson followed in the second, netting his ninth goal of the season.
Jack Eichel added insurance in the third period, picking up a pass from Ivan Barbashev and scoring on a breakaway.
Tomas Hertl later extended his point streak to 13 points in nine games with an empty net goal. Nicolas Roy had three points and Keegan Kolesar had two.
Adin Hill snapped a three-game skid, making 31 saves on 32 shots. Florida had the shot advantage, 32-25, and out-hit Vegas, 36-14.
The Golden Knights improved to 31-15-4 in the year and retook the lead in the Pacific Division with 66 points. They host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
End of second period: Tanner Pearson extends Golden Knights lead against Panthers
Tanner Pearson takes advantage of some commotion in front of the net to score and extend the Vegas Golden Knights’ lead over the Florida Panthers, 2-0.
Nicolas Roy got the puck at the Panthers’ left faceoff dot and was knocked down by Aaron Ekblad while passing it to Pearson. With open ice in front of him due to the two players on the ice, Pearson dragged the puck past the scuffle and beat Spencer Knight’s blocker side for the goal.
Both teams had a chance on the power play. Roy was called for holding, and Tomas Nosek was called for slashing. However, neither team converted on special teams.
Florida is substantially outhitting Vegas, 29-11 and has a 21-15 shot advantage. Adin Hill is looking for his third shutout of the season and to snap a three-game losing skid.
End of first period: Brayden McNabb gives Golden Knights early lead against Panthers
Brayden McNabb’s third goal of the season gives the Vegas Golden Knights an early 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers.
Nicolas Roy picked up the loose puck in the natural zone and broke it out with Keegan Kolesar. Kolesar passed the puck back to McNabb at the point and he fired a slap shot that beat Panthers goalie Spencer Knight high. Kolesar picked up his 20th point of the season and is now four points from tying his single-season career high.
It’s been an aggressive first period. There have been 20 combined hits, with the Panthers delivering 14 of them. McNabb had a big hit in the first period, leveling Sam Reinhart, who was slow to get up after. Despite all the hits, there were no penalties called.
Florida had an 11-7 shot edge in the period. The Golden Knights have won 60% of face-offs.
Pregame: Golden Knights hosting Panthers in battle of recent Cup champions
It’s a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and a showdown between the last two NHL champions as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m.
Over the past two seasons, the Golden Knights have defeated the Panthers four times at T-Mobile Arena, including a 9-3 victory in the series-clinching game of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2023.
The Golden Knights have lost three in a row to Florida dating back to last season.
Despite snapping a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, the Golden Knights are struggling to string wins together. They lost to the Dallas Stars on Friday, 3-2. They have not won back-to-back games since Jan. 7.
This losing streak is similar to the one Vegas had during the 2022-23 season, when it lost eight of 10 games from Jan. 7 to Jan. 28. It went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
Florida defeated the San Jose Sharks, 7-2, on Saturday, scoring all seven goals in just two periods. Four players had multi-point games, and the Panthers took just one penalty.
A win over Vegas would move the Panthers into the top spot in the Atlantic Division, past Toronto. If the Golden Knights win, they will move into the top spot in the Pacific Division, surpassing Edmonton.
It was announced ahead of the game that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo withdrew from playing for Team Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off due to ‘an ailment.’ Pietrangelo was on the ice and dressed during pregame warm-ups.
Players to watch
Golden Knights: Pavel Dorofeyev (forward) 49 games played, 21 goals, 10 assists, 31 points; Tomas Hertl (center) 49 games played, 17 goals, 21 assists, 38 points; Jack Eichel (center) 48 games played, 14 goals, 47 assists, 61 points.
Florida: Sam Reinhart (center) 50 games played, 29 goals, 24 assists, 53 points; Matthew Tkachuk (forward) 45 games played, 15 goals, 29 assists, 44 points; Aleksander Barkov (forward) 40 games played, 11 goals, 30 assists, 41 points.
Non-active players
Golden Knights: Cole Schwindt (lower body), William Karlsson (lower body).
Florida: Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)
How to watch
TV: Scripps Sports (Cox Communications, channel 34). KnightTime+ (streaming)
Betting line
Golden Knights -130 Florida +110. Over/under 5.5 (-130/+110)
Who is goal
Golden Knights: Adin Hill – 30 games played, 18-9-3 record, 2.65 goals against average, .900 save percentage, 2 shutouts.
Florida: Spencer Knights – 17 games played, 9-7-1 record, 2.43 goals against average, .907 save percentage, 2 shutouts.