Vegas beat Florida 7:2, Marchessault scored three points

Update: 06.06.2023 06:06

Las Vegas – The Vegas hockey players beat Florida 7-2 in the second NHL playoff final and take a 2-0 lead in the series. Jonathan Marchessault led the Golden Knights in the win with two goals and one assist. Striker Brett Howden scored two goals. Florida defender Radko Gudas did not finish the game after a hard hit by Ivan Barabašev.

Vegas split its scoring allotment in all three periods. Marchessault, the team’s top scorer in the playoffs, was the first to score in the eighth minute on the power play. Two minutes before the first siren, defender Alec Martinez made it 2-0, scoring his first goal in the ongoing elimination battles.

In the second period, the Golden Knights scored two goals in seven minutes and forced Sergej Bobrovsky out of the goal at 27:10. In the final, the Russian goalkeeper is still looking in vain for comfort from the semi-final series against Carolina. While he kept a shutout against the Hurricanes and caught at over 96.5 percent, he has struggled in the finals so far. He conceded eight goals from 46 shots and his success rate does not even reach 83 percent.

Nicolas Roy added three goals to the difference, and Howden added Vegas’ fourth goal. At that time, Gudas was already missing from the field, who was knocked out of the game by Barabašev in the first period with a hard shoulder tackle. The Czech defenseman played two minutes and 11 seconds before being forced to retire and managed to give out two hits during his short stay on the ice.

Florida reduced the score to 1:4 after 14 seconds of play in the third period, but only enjoyed the goal for a few minutes. Marchessault made it 5-1 with his second hit of the game, and Mike Amadio added insurance at 50:33. Marchessault extended his point streak to seven games, tying a club playoff high. In the last 12 games, the 32-year-old Canadian forward scored 12 goals and is the second best scorer in the ongoing Stanley Cup.

Panthers most productive player Matthew Tkachuk adjusted the score in the 53rd minute with his first finals goal, but the home team had the last word. Howden capped a wild game with his second goal of the game.

After two unequivocal wins, the Vegas hockey players advanced to the first Stanley Cup in the club’s history. Florida will try to dramatize the final series on home ice, where the series will continue with a third game on Thursday night.

Stanley Cup Finals – Game 2:

Vegas Golden Knights – Florida Panthers 7:2 (2:0, 2:0, 3:2)

Goals: 8. and 43. Marchessault, 28. and 58. Howden, 18. Martinez, 23. N. Roy, 51. Amadio – 41. Lundell, 53. Tkachuk. Shots on goal: 28:31. Audience: 18:561. Stars of the match: 1. Marchessault, 2. Barabashev, 3. Howden (all Vegas). Series status 2:0.