The Vegas Golden Knights sealed their maiden NHL title in style with a 4-1 series win over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals at T-Mobile Arena.
Holding a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series prior to Tuesday's battle, Bruce Cassidy's team flaunted their attacking dominance in a 9-3 victory in front of the home crowd.
In the wake of being sacked by the Boston Bruins just over 12 months ago, Cassidy completed the Knights' mission to win an NHL title in the first six years since they entered the division as an expansion team in 2017.
Only the 1984 Edmonton Oilers have won a Stanley Cup quicker as an expansion franchise, and the Knights had a hat-trick from Mark Stone as well as goals from Nicolas Hague, Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith, Michael Amadio, Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy to thank for their title-clinching success.
Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore also had three assists to their name for the Knights, while forward Jonathan Marchessault scooped the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the postseason.
Furthermore, the Knights' six-goal win is the second-biggest margin of victory ever in a Stanley Cup-winning match, only beaten by the Pittsburgh Penguins' 8-0 success over the Minnesota North Stars in 1991.
Ben Knapton
