Golden Knights fans pack Las Vegas Ballpark for Stanley Cup Final party

LAS VEGAS -- Dawna Macdonell could not help but get a little emotional discussing the impact the Vegas Golden Knights have on the community here.

Macdonell and her family set up blankets on the pristine outfield grass at Las Vegas Ballpark and watched Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on the giant video board in left-center field with 10,000 other fans at the sold-out viewing party sponsored by the Golden Knights on Saturday.

"I feel like their timing arriving here was divine, it just helped heal our city," Macdonell said. "This is just so deserved, they've worked so hard, they support the community in so many ways. They just worked so hard this year and I think it belongs to them. We've come to support our Knights and help them hopefully win the Stanley Cup and bring it home."

The Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 5 at T-Mobile here Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

The Golden Knights have set up a watch parties at the Ballpark in the past, but this is the first this season, taking advantage of the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League, a Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, being on the road.

The park was full, and the watch party was a family affair with bobblehead giveaways, a ticket draw for Game 5, and other activities.

Tyler and Kaitlin Ploof brought their sons Cole, 3, and Jason, 5, to take in the game as big Golden Knights fans, having moved here from Texas two years ago.

"We really became hockey fans once we moved here, it's hard not to here," Tyler Ploof said. "We came to this party here and it always seems like they are having something every weekend. We've been to a few of their practices and so it's really nice that a professional team lets the community come and meet them."

Cole and Jason brought along their mini hockey sticks, taking advantage of the vast outfield to knock an orange street hockey ball around.

"The boys absolutely love hockey," Kaitlin Ploof said. "They really love the Golden Knights and are growing up hockey fans."

Entering the NHL as an expansion team for the 2017-2018 season, the Golden Knights are participating in their second Final. They are now one win away from hoisting the Cup.

"I'm from Vegas and before the Golden Knights, we had no one to cheer for," said Matthew Haynie, decked out in a Golden Knights jersey. "We've had a lot of other teams come, but the Golden Knights are really the one that brought everybody together. Myself, and I think a lot of other people here that didn't know much about hockey, are now invested in hockey. The Golden Knights that first year, brought us all together. We have a team we can cheer for; a hometown team and they brought everybody together, whether you're originally from Vegas or not. If you're here now, you're watching the Knights."

Prior to the Knights it was difficult to get Vegas residents to root for the same team according to fan Jordyn Hanevold.

"I'm a big football fan also, so I've never really had anyone who likes the same football team as me here in Vegas, so having people with likeminded sports and the same values as me is really cool," Hanevold said. "I also think when they started also made a huge impact, because at that time, we really needed something to pull us together. The fact they joined the League, and they also rocked that first year (going to 2018 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Washington Capitals), was really awesome for our city. I think that we're back here now in the Final after that first year says a lot about our team too. It would be the first win for a team I like. That I've ever experienced, probably a lot of people here too. I think that Las Vegas needs a win."