Mark Stone delivered a stellar performance with two goals and three assists, while Marc-Andre Fleury earned his 460th career win as the Vegas Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 7-2 on Thursday night.
Max Pacioretty contributed two goals and an assist, Nate Schmidt added a goal and an assist, and both Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault found the back of the net for Vegas. Fleury made 23 saves, surpassing Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers for sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
Stone matched his career-high with five points on the night.
“He’s always good, but tonight he took it to another level,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer. “Both offensively and defensively, he was outstanding.”
Vincent Trocheck scored a goal and an assist for the Panthers, while Mike Hoffman scored another goal. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky allowed six goals on 29 shots before being replaced by Sam Montembeault, who made nine saves in relief. Jonathan Huberdeau also tallied two assists.
Leading 3-2 heading into the third period, the Golden Knights pulled away with four goals in the final frame.
Vegas extended their lead just 17 seconds into the third period when Schmidt’s shot from the blue line deflected off Bobrovsky and into the net. Theodore added a shorthanded goal at 4:11 to make it 5-2, followed by Marchessault’s goal at 8:53, which chased Bobrovsky from the game. Pacioretty sealed the win with his second goal of the night, making it 7-2 with 4:44 left to play.
“At the start of the third, we thought we had a chance, but after that early goal, things went downhill fast,” said Panthers coach Joel Quenneville. “It wasn’t pretty.”
Stone gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead early in the second period, skillfully maneuvering the puck in the slot before roofing it past Bobrovsky at 1:49.
Trocheck tied the game at 2 with a wraparound power-play goal at 11:52, tucking the puck inside the post. However, Vegas responded just 26 seconds later when Pacioretty’s shot managed to sneak past Bobrovsky, giving Vegas a 3-2 lead.
“We were in a 2-2 game against one of the best teams, but then we got outworked on the next shift, and it just spiraled from there,” said Trocheck.
The Golden Knights struck first when Stone tapped in a rebound just 2:15 into the game. Florida equalized on a power-play goal by Hoffman at 16:22 of the first period. Vegas challenged for goalie interference, but the goal stood.
Fleury made a key stop on a penalty shot from Brett Connolly at 6:40 of the second, becoming only the second goaltender in NHL history to record at least 20 penalty shot saves, joining Roberto Luongo (29).
Game Notes:
- Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury.
- Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar was out due to illness, and Brian Boyle missed his third game with an upper-body injury.
- The Golden Knights announced they have purchased an AHL franchise from Spurs Sports & Entertainment and are applying to relocate the team to Henderson/Las Vegas.
Up Next:
- Golden Knights: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
- Panthers: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
