NHL Short Notes

* With 18,432 fans packed inside a sold-out T-Mobile Arena and Game 1 broadcast to fans in 250 countries and territories, the Golden Knights staged their ninth comeback win of the postseason to pull ahead 1-0 in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

* Game 1 provided moments reminiscent of the Golden Knights’ first-ever trip to the Final – with three members of the club’s original roster scoring and Adin Hill replicating a memorable stop from 2018 – but also had impactful contributions from players making their debuts in the championship series.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced during his annual Stanley Cup Final media avail, alongside Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, that the Devils, Flyers, Rangers and Islanders will compete in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 17-18 at MetLife Stadium.

2018 “MISFITS” GET T-MOBILE ARENA ROCKING EN ROUTE TO GAME 1 WIN

The Golden Knights channeled their inner “Misfits” in Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final as Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore – members of the club’s original roster in 2017-18 – provided the team’s first two goals to spark Vegas to victory in front of a roaring crowd at “The Fortress.”

* After serving up some #NHLStats trivia before the game, Marchessault scored his first career goal in the Stanley Cup Final (6 GP) and reached double digits in these playoffs (10-8—18 in 18 GP). He extended his point streak to six games, which trails only Max Pacioretty (7 GP in 2021) and Theodore (7 GP in 2020) for the longest postseason run in Golden Knights history.

* Theodore scored his first goal of the 2023 playoffs and first overall since March 7 – also against Florida – to halt a 27-game drought. Theodore registered 1-1—2 and became the second Golden Knights defenseman to record a multi-point performance in the Final, joining Deryk Engelland (Game 1 in 2018).

* Reilly Smith recorded his franchise-leading fourth goal in the Stanley Cup Final and has now scored in three straight Final contests dating to Game 4 in 2018. The only players with a longer such streak (spanning years) over the past 40 years are Mario Lemieux (7 GP), Wayne Gretzky (6 GP), Brian Propp (4 GP), Sergei Fedorov (4 GP) and Ryan O’Reilly (4 GP).

HILL, WHITECLOUD MAKE MASSIVE IMPACT IN FINAL DEBUTS

The fourth Stanley Cup Final game ever played in Las Vegas included a save reminiscent of one made in the same crease five years ago, this time with Golden Knights fans rejoicing afterward. Adin Hill wowed the crowd with a sprawling stop against Florida’s Nick Cousins, mirroring “The Save” by Braden Holtby in Game 2 of the 2018 Final. It was one of 33 saves for Hill, who made his Stanley Cup Final debut.

* Hill, who is playing with his fifth professional team in three seasons (3 NHL, 2 AHL), praised the Vegas defense before Game 1, calling them the best defensive core in the League. Hill received support from that group at both ends of the rink Saturday as Golden Knights blueliners combined for four points in Game 1 to overtake the Stars (3-31—34) for the most by defensemen this postseason (5-30—35).

* Zach Whitecloud became the second defenseman in the past 22 years – and 11th in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) – to score the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

* Whitecloud signed as an undrafted free agent with Vegas on March 8, 2018 and made his NHL debut less than a month later in the club’s second-last game of its inaugural season – as they embarked on their first run to the Stanley Cup Final. His journey to the NHL included stops in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, NCAA (Bemidji State University) and AHL.

VEGAS APPROACHING NHL RECORD WITH ANOTHER COMEBACK WIN

After a few narrow misses on reaching the Stanley Cup Final, Golden Knights captain MarkStone scored in his first-ever game in the championship series. The tally gave Vegas its first multi-goal lead of the contest and helped the club stage its ninth comeback win of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, one shy of the single-postseason record achieved twice before – including last year by the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.

STANLEY CUP FINAL OPENS WITH SHORTHANDED GOAL FOR THIRD TIME

Playing in his 100th career playoff contest and 13th in the Stanley Cup Final, Eric Staal scored his first career shorthanded goal in the postseason to open the scoring in Game 1. It came 17 years after his last goal in the Final, the longest span in NHL history between goals in the championship series.

* Staal became the third player on record to score the opening goal of a Stanley Cup Final while shorthanded, following Kirk Maltby with the 1997 Red Wings (at PHI) and Bucko McDonald with the 1936 Maple Leafs (at DET).

FOUR TEAMS TO COMPETE IN 2024 NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION NHL STADIUM SERIES

The NHL announced the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series will take place Feb. 17-18 at MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Football Giants. The event will feature four teams – the Flyers, Devils, Rangers and Islanders – in two regular-season outdoor games. On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Devils will play host to the Flyers, and on Sunday, Feb. 18, the Rangers will face off against the Islanders.

* Also unveiled before Game 1 were logos for three more events on the 2023-24 NHL calendar: the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic and 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. The official logo for Stadium Series will be unveiled when it is available. Click here to read more about the respective design descriptions.