Golden Knights recap: Big save, dominant 2nd period lead to win
Knights win series 4-1
Game 1 — Golden Knights 5, Panthers 2
Game 2 — Golden Knights 7, Panthers 2
Game 3 — Panthers 3, Golden Knights 2, OT
Game 4 — Golden Knights 3, Panthers 2
Game 5 — Golden Knights 9, Panthers 3
RJ’s three stars
3. Knights goaltender Adin Hill — What a run for the career backup who wasn’t the starter at the beginning of the regular season or the playoffs.
Hill continued his magical ride with a 32-save performance in the clincher, keeping the team in the game early and shutting the door on any hopes of a comeback late despite a couple of pucks getting by him in garbage time.
He again made big saves in moments when Florida looked as if it might find some life.
2. Knights forward Jack Eichel — It’s difficult to leave him off any list of most important players any time he steps onto the ice.
He showed throughout the playoffs why coach Bruce Cassidy believes he has become an elite two-way player by showcasing impressive defensive responsibility, but he truly flashes his skills with the puck on his stick.
Eichel has created opportunity after opportunity for his teammates and did so again in the clincher.
His three assists gave him 20 for the postseason, and he finished with a league-best 26 points in his first playoff appearance.
1. Knights forward Mark Stone — It’s only fitting that the only team captain in franchise history came up with a hat trick in the clinching game.
Stone’s first goal was a strong representation of his all-around skills, as he expertly defended a power play, came up with the puck and took it down the ice before letting Sergei Bobrovsky make the first move and beating him high for the goal.
He added another in the second period and then triggered a barrage of hats to be thrown onto the ice when he created a turnover and scored on an empty net from his own zone.
Key play
Hill’s save at 2:24 of the first period on Anton Lundell
The Knights appeared to be gripping their sticks a bit tight, and the Panthers were buzzing around the ice in the opening minutes as they exhibited all the desperation of a team with its season on the line.
Florida almost took advantage of the momentum when the Knights committed an ugly turnover and Lundell found himself all alone in front of Hill.
After a couple of dekes, Lundell was unsuccessful trying to get the puck past the goaltender, who has exceeded expectations every step of the way in the postseason.
Hill kicked out his right pad to make the stop, and the save appeared to calm things for the Knights, who got two goals later in the period and never trailed on their way to the clinching victory.
Key stat
Plus-23
The margin by which the Knights outscored opponents in the second period this postseason.
It was another strong middle period Tuesday that helped propel them to the victory.
After Florida scored a goal to get within 2-1, the Knights responded with four straight in the final 9:32 to take a 6-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.
Alec Martinez and Reilly Smith scored to give the Knights a three-goal margin. Stone then found the net for the second time in the game as the Panthers started to collapse.
Then it was Michael Amadio, who pushed the puck into the net as he was cross-checked from behind two seconds before the end of the period.
The final second-period tally in the postseason for the Knights was 34-11 against their four opponents combined.
Quotable
“They call ‘em the misfits, those are the guys, they built this. They built this culture. So proud to be a part of it.”
— Eichel, on the six original Knights still with the team
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal