LAS VEGAS — Captain Mark Stone recorded his second-ever hat trick, and the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena to clinch the franchise’s first championship.
The Knights became the seventh team in NHL history to win a Cup in its first six seasons. The Knights also became the 21st active franchise with a title.
Defensemen Nic Hague and Alec Martinez, left wings Reilly Smith and Ivan Barbashev and right wing Michael Amadio also scored in a game that felt like more of a coronation than a contest. Nicolas Roy added the final goal.
The Panthers, playing without injured leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk, got goals from defenseman Aaron Ekblad, right wing Sam Reinhart and center Sam Bennett, but otherwise offered little resistance in front of a record announced crowd of 19,058.
The Knights led 2-0 after the first period and 6-1 after two. They set a franchise record for the most goals in a playoff game and tied their record for the most in any game.
