Morning Skate Report: June 5, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights host the Florida Panthers for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday at 5 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas leads the series, 1-0.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: TNT, TBS, truTV
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
VGK Today: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud

TRAFFIC UPDATE
The Nevada Department of Transportation's I-15 Tropicana Project will have a major impact on many fans' travel to games at T-Mobile Arena. Road, ramp and lane closures will change throughout the two-and-a-half year project. The Vegas Golden Knights encourage fans to arrive early and stay late for games, but with some closures fans' typical routes to the arena will not be available. Please visit vgk.io/i15Trop for more information. Fans can also use traffic mobile apps like Waze which will be updated with road and ramp closures.

FAN ACTIVATIONS
Local tattoo artist Joey Hamilton from Revolt Tattoos will return outside T-Mobile Arena before Game 2 offering free permanent or temporary tattoos of the team's logo. Skywriting above T-Mobile Arena will provide custom messages for fans to view while waiting for puck drop. The Golden Knights will also host viewing parties on Toshiba Plaza for fans without tickets to the games. Activations outside T-Mobile Arena will officially start at 2 p.m. PT.

Gold battle towels will be placed on individual seats inside T-Mobile Arena for Game 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Those with a ticket to the game are encouraged to download the Stadium FX mobile application on their iPhone or Android device to become part of the team's immersive experience during the pregame show.

SERIES AT A GLANCE
Game 1: Golden Knights 5, Panthers 2 | Highlights
Mon., June 5: Panthers at Golden Knights, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Thu., June 8: Golden Knights at Panthers, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
Sat., June 10: Golden Knights at Panthers, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
\Tue., June 13: Panthers at Golden Knights, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
\Fri., June 16: Golden Knights at Panthers, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
\Mon., June 19: Panthers at Golden Knights, 5 p.m. PT (TNT, TBS, truTV)
* = If necessary*

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-2 win against the Panthers on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. After an opening shorthanded goal in the first period from Eric Staal, Jonathan Marchessault responded to tie it at 1-1 on the power play. Halfway through the second, Shea Theodore scored to put Vegas up 2-1. Anthony Duclair then tied things up again, 2-2. In the third period, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals from Zach Whitecloud, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith to take Game 1, 5-2. Adin Hill made 33 saves for his eighth win of the playoffs.

PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERSGolden Knights:
Jack Eichel - 20 points (6G, 14A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 18 points (10G, 8A)
Mark Stone - 16 points (7G, 9A)

Panthers:
Matthew Tkachuk - 21 points (9G, 12A)
Carter Verhaeghe - 15 points (6G, 9A)
Aleksander Barkov - 14 points (4G, 10A)

KEYS TO THE GAME
Don't let up: There's still three more wins to be acquired before Vegas can secure the ultimate prize. Florida was down 1-0 against the Boston Bruins in the first round, but ended up winning the series in seven games. The Golden Knights must keep their foot on the gas to try for the 2-0 series lead before heading to Florida.

Physicality: The Panthers are the most penalized team this postseason and Vegas was the least penalized team in the regular season. Florida is a physical team, so it's important the Golden Knights match their intensity without taking unnecessary penalties or retaliating too much.