3 Takeaways: Golden Knights Open Three-Game Homestand With 4-1 Win Over Panthers

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights were in desperate need for a win after closing a quick two-game road trip with a loss in Dallas and extending their skid to 2-6-1 since Jan. 9.

Mission accomplished, as they not only earned a win Sunday night, but they opened a three-game homestand with a strong showing against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in a 4-1 win.

“It was massive,” Vegas forward Nic Roy said. “Like you said, not our best stretch (recently), but it’s gonna happen, it’s a long season. And playing a really good team today, they won last year. So, we knew it was going to be a big matchup, we wanted to come out strong and I think we did that. So yeah, it’s a positive for sure.”

Brayden McNabb, Tanner Pearson, Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl scored the Golden Knights, while Adin Hill had one of his best showings of late in stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced.

Though Vegas was outshot in all three periods, and 33-26 for the game, the Golden Knights did a good job in keeping the Panthers away from the net by forcing the action to the outside.

“Our guys just getting under sticks and letting me cover the puck,” Hill said. “And yeah, we did a great job not really letting them get any rebounds or second chances. So it’s always huge when our guys can do that.”

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s game:

TAKE A HIT, MAKE A PLAY: Nic Roy finished the night with three assists, and one of them was a bit more painful than the others.

As he skated into the offensive zone and into the right circle, Roy spun to see who was trailing and dropped the puck off for Pearson. As he did, however, he was dropped by Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who lifted Roy off his feet with a monster hit.

“I was not expecting that at all,” Roy said. “Kind of got destroyed there a little bit. I was on the ice there and when I saw (Pearson score), I was all smiles.”

NO DISTRACTIONS: After a 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 20, coach Bruce Cassidy was emphatic about his team playing better and staying focused.

“We got … guys that are going to the 4 Nations, so is that on their mind?” Cassidy said. “There’s a little bit of that. There’s the break. So this is a month we gotta push through.”

After Sunday’s win, it was clear the Golden Knights returned from their trip focused on the final stretch before 4 Nations, as they play two more at home before playing four on the East Coast.

“Everyone knows in the room what we need to do, and every point is crucial this time of year,” Pearson said. “So you can’t get ahead of yourself. You need to focus on the next game, and the game after that, and game after that, and just keep on grinding until the break happens.”

IT’S A KILLER: Though the Golden Knights have the 20th-ranked penalty kill at 77.6%, they were a perfect 3-for-3 against the Panthers, who arrived in Vegas with the road’s third-best road power play. Florida has scored at least one power-play goal in each of its last two games, but for the fifth time in seven games were shut down on all their attempts. That included an early third-period opportunity, with Vegas leading 2-1, and the Panthers getting a perfect chance to tie the game.

“I think if you want to win games like that, you need every aspect of your game to show,” Pearson said.