Top moments of season for Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history with a 9-3 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

Vegas was 16-6 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round, defeated the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the second round and defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final before knocking off the Panthers in five games.

Owner Bill Foley set a goal before Vegas debuted in the NHL: Make the playoffs in three seasons and win the Stanley Cup in six.

Mission accomplished.

The Golden Knights almost got it done in one. Not only did they make the playoffs in their inaugural season, but they made the Cup Final, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games in 2018.

They have pursued the Cup aggressively ever since, parting with popular coaches and players, adding high-end talent and pushing the limits of the NHL salary cap.

They lost to the San Jose Sharks in seven games of the 2019 Western Conference First Round, the Stars in five games of the 2020 conference final and the Montreal Canadiens in six games of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

After missing the playoffs for the first time last season largely because of injuries, they rebounded by winning the Cup this season.

Here are some highlights for the Golden Knights on the road to the Stanley Cup Final:

BEST MOMENT: For the first time in their history, the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. Mark Stone, who has been captain for the past two seasons received it from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after a convincing 9-3 win in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers and skated with it before handing it to Reilly Smith, an original Golden Knight. Smith handed it to another original Vegas player, Jonathan Marchessault.

TURNING POINT: It might have been a different series had Dallas held on to a 2-1 lead late in Game 2, but Stars defenseman Ryan Suter threw the puck around the end boards in the Dallas zone. Barbashev got to the puck and sent it to center Jack Eichel behind the goal line. Eichel made a beautiful pass in front and Marchessault tied the game 2-2 with 2:22 to go. Center Chandler Stephenson scored at 1:12 of overtime to give Vegas a 3-2 win and 2-0 series lead.

BEST MOVES MADE: The Golden Knights acquired Eichel in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4, 2021, and allowed him to have a neck surgery that had never been done before on an NHL player. Eichel came back to play 34 games in 2021-22, but the move really paid dividends this season, giving the Golden Knights the No. 1 center they had lacked. Eichel, in his first NHL playoff run, led the playoffs with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 22 games. The other big move was replacing coach Peter DeBoer with Bruce Cassidy this season. Vegas tightened defensively in the regular season and was hard to play against during the playoffs, keeping opponents to the outside. And how about the addition of Barbashev in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 26? He had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 22 games for Vegas.

BEST MOVES NOT MADE:The Golden Knights have been bold about making changes to the coaching staff and roster, but the management team has been stable since the beginning. At first, George McPhee was president of hockey operations and general manager, and Kelly McCrimmon was assistant GM. McCrimmon was then promoted to GM effective Sept. 1, 2019. They have been an excellent team in building an excellent team.

SIGNATURE WIN (REGULAR SEASON):The Boston Bruins lost only 17 games in the regular season (12 in regulation, five in overtime), including seven at home (four in regulation, three in OT), on the way to setting NHL records for wins (65) and points (135). But the Golden Knights defeated them 4-3 in a shootout at TD Garden on Dec. 5, which ended an NHL-record 14-game home winning streak to start a season. It was also Cassidy's first game against the Bruins since they fired him June 6 after six seasons.

SIGNATURE WIN (PLAYOFFS):The Golden Knights let their 3-0 series lead against the Stars slip to 3-2 by losing Games 4 and 5. DeBoer, now coach of the Stars, said the pressure had shifted to the Golden Knights because another loss would have meant a Game 7. Well, so much for that. Vegas dominated to clinch a trip to the Cup Final.

MVP: Eichel is an easy answer, but center William Karlsson scored 11 goals and had six assists in the playoffs and played a key defensive role. Another candidate is Marchessault, whose 13 goals tied for first in the playoffs and 25 points were second.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:Adin Hill is technically Vegas' fourth goalie, after the injured Video: FLA@VGK, Gm5: Watch as the players lift the Cup, Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit. When Brossoit left Game 3 of the second round, Hill took over. He hadn't played since March 7, and had never played in the playoffs before. All he did was go 11-4 with a 2.17 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts to help Vegas win the Cup.