Golden Knights have to 'stay humble' following Game 1 win in Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- It was almost exactly five years ago when the Vegas Golden Knights' incredible inaugural season ended in heartbreak. They lost Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final and watched the Washington Capitals celebrate on their home ice at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018.

"You don't want to finish on a note like that necessarily," forward Jonathan Marchessault said in a silent locker room that night. "But one thing I know: We'll be back."

The Golden Knights were back here Saturday after five years of striving to return to the biggest stage in the NHL. They defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 in Game 1 of the Cup Final and seemed determined to finish what they started.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is here Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

"Winning one, it's good for our group, but that's nothing," said Marchessault, one of six players remaining from that original run. "You have so much more. For our group, we're focusing on Game 2. We have to keep that mentality and stay humble, and we didn't do anything so far."

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Vegas returned to the Cup Final in more ways than one. The whole day had an only-in-Vegas vibe.

Before the game, Marshmello performed in a Golden Knights jersey on stage in Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile Arena. As showgirls and cheerleaders danced, thousands of fans heard the hit single "Happier."

"I wanna raise your spirits. I want to see you smile …"

During warmups, showgirls danced against the glass in the visitor's end as the music pumped, as usual. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley stood on the home bench, fist-bumping the players as they came off the ice. He had set the goal of winning the Cup in six seasons; now his team had a chance to do it.

Michael Buffer announced the starting lineups, and after the U.S. national anthem, he drew out his signature line as if this were a boxing match.

"Let's get ready to rumblllllle!"

The game was like a heavyweight fight. Fast. Physical. Back and forth.

Forward Eric Staal scored short-handed to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 9:40 of the first period. Marchessault responded with a power-play goal to tie it 1-1 at 17:18.

"We don't get rattled," Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. "They score the first goal short-handed. It could have been a bit of a backbreaker for us. We get the next power play, we score."

After goalie Adin Hill robbed Panthers forward Nick Cousins early in the second period, stretching out his stick to get the paddle on the puck in front of an open net, defenseman Shea Theodore put the Golden Knights ahead 2-1 at 10:54.

Forward Anthony Duclair tied it 2-2 with 10.2 seconds to go in the second, but the Golden Knights came back in the third period with goals by defenseman Zach Whitecloud at 6:59 and Stone at 13:41. Forward Reilly Smith added an empty-net goal at 18:15.

"We just keep rolling," Stone said. "That's what we've got to do. Can't let the momentum swings get too drastic in this series. Got to stay even-keeled and keep going."

Vegas was not at its best. The Golden Knights gave up too many scoring chances, and they got lucky when the Panthers hit the goal post on at least three occasions.

"It was just one of those nights," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I think emotion was in the building and everyone was caught up in it a little bit."

Florida should not be underestimated, either. The Panthers fell behind 3-1 in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins, who set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in the regular season. They won 11 of 12 games after that, defeating three of the top four teams in the regular season: the Bruins (first), the Carolina Hurricanes (second) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (fourth).

But the Golden Knights are more experienced and mature than they were the last time they were here.

Remember, they won 6-4 in Game 1 of the Cup Final in 2018. T-Mobile Arena was rocking. It looked like the magic wouldn't end until they paraded the Cup down Las Vegas Boulevard.

And then they lost four straight games for the first time.

They don't want to go through the pain of losing the Cup Final again.

"I remember," Marchessault said. "I was there [five] years ago. It feels good (to win Game 1). But I mean, there's so much more work to do. Our best game is yet to come, and for us, we're going to focus on Game 2."