(Reuters) – The Golden Knights have far more to offer after beating the underdog Florida Panthers 5-2 to open the Stanley Cup Finals, Las Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said on Sunday.
Tied at two apiece through the first two periods, defenceman Zach Whitecloud whipped a wrist shot through traffic for the go-ahead goal in the third with captain Mark Stone and Reilly Smith adding to the advantage in Saturday’s affair.
“Our guys know we weren’t at our best yesterday – I think that’s fairly typical of Game 1 in a lot of series. You kind of go through a feeling out process and as the series go on the temperatures rise,” said Cassidy.
The two teams entered the playoffs in vastly different positions, with Vegas the Western Conference’s top seed and Florida the final wildcard in the East, and Cassidy said his side has no intention of squandering their second trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas goalkeeper Adin Hill produced 33 saves, including an instant classic in the second period, when he stretched out long to deflect a shot with the paddle of his stick.
“We did enough to win, which we’ve done a lot this year – we’ve found ways to win when we’re not at our best and stay in the game to fight through the parts where you’re maybe not executing as well as you’d like,” Cassidy told reporters.
“When it was winning time in the third period and we got the goal from Whitecloud I thought we recognised what was at stake and were able to get to the finish line, do enough things right.”
The Golden Knights play again at home on Monday before hitting the road in the Sun Belt series.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Kim Coghill)
