Florida Panthers Drop Game 1 At Home

Vegas Golden Knights Take Early Series Lead in Stanley Cup Final

Florida Panthers Drop Game 1 at Home

After a four-day break following the conclusion of the Western Conference finals, the Vegas Golden Knights took Game 1 of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena. Vegas beat the Florida Panthers 4-1, handing Florida their first home loss of the playoffs.

The Golden Knights opened the scoring just 5:02 into the game when William Karlsson scored on a wrist shot from the slot. Vegas extended its lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal from Shea Theodore at 10:34 of the first period. The Panthers got on the board with a power-play goal of their own from Aleksander Barkov at 16:34, but Vegas took a 3-1 lead into the locker room after a goal from Chandler Stephenson at 18:42.

Vegas added another goal in the third period, an empty-netter from Max Pacioretty, to seal the victory.

The two teams will meet again in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night in Sunrise, Florida.