Mark Stone stars in Vegas Golden Knights’ first-ever Stanley Cup victory over Florida Panthers to seal comprehensive win

The Vegas Golden Knights made history and secured their first-ever Stanley Cup triumph after overcoming Florida Panthers.

A 9-3 win in Las Vegas sealed a comprehensive 4-1 victory after a best-of-seven championship series.

Vegas won their first two home games and secured victory in the second Florida match to ultimately emerge victorious.

Captain Mark Stone and goaltender Adin Hill both played starring roles after scoring three goals and making 31 saves respectively.

Hill’s performance was all the more remarkable given he was injured when the play-offs began. He regained his place in the side after Laurent Brossoit was forced off injured against Edmonton Oilers, in Game 3 of the second-round series.

Aside from Stone’s hat-trick, Nicolas Hague, Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith, Michael Amadio, Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy all scored a point each on a memorable night for the six-year old NHL franchise.

Speaking after the match, Stone said: “I can’t even describe the feelings in my stomach right now. Everything you can imagine.

“The grind of an 82-game season, four play-off rounds. You grind and you grind and you grind. At the end of the day, we’re the last team standing. It’s incredible.”

The play-offs’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) award was given to Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy after earning 25 points for his side.

Meanwhile, it was a gut-wrenching evening for Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who admitted his side were ultimately out of their depth.

He added: “We were swinging out of our weight class in the play-offs.

“We hit four teams that had 110 points plus. One had 135. It’s not an excuse, we don’t need one. These guys have earned the right. They gave everything they had.”