Theodore among top performers for Golden Knights in Game 1 of Cup Final

LAS VEGAS --Who played well in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it's easy to tell, sometimes it isn't. NHL.com graded the players in the Vegas Golden Knights' 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. Here are the players and trends that stood out the most.

Honor Roll

Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights): The defenseman scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and also had the secondary assist on Jonathan Marchessault's goal. It was a much-needed night offensively for Theodore, but he was also solid on the defensive end, not allowing Florida's forwards to gain traction in front of the net.

Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights): Hill, once again, was spectacular, and he arguably made the save of the playoffs when he reached back with his stick and robbed Nick Cousins 50 seconds into the second period to keep it tied 1-1. Hill made another crucial save on Sam Reinhart late in the third period with the Golden Knights leading 4-2, so if there were any concerns about Hill fading in the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Final, it didn't show in Game 1.

Eric Staal (Florida Panthers):Staal got the Panthers going with a short-handed goal in the first period, scoring his second of the postseason on a wraparound following a turnover by Reilly Smith. It was his only shot of the game, but he was one of three players who finished plus-1 for Florida.

Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights): The captain scored the goal that gave Vegas a crucial two-goal lead late in the third period. He led the way offensively for the Golden Knights, leading them with seven shots goal and making numerous passes that resulted in high-danger chances. Stone has been a key reason why Vegas has made it this far, and he showed why again in Game 1.

Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers): Lundell was one of the few bright spots for the Panthers, getting the only assist on Staal's short-handed goal and going 14-for-25 on face-offs (56 percent).

RELATED: [Video: FLA@VGK, Gm1: Theodore scores through traffic in 2nd]

Stock Watch

Jack Eichel (Up): Eichel continues to make a case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He finished with two assists, but more importantly, his defense and forechecking was easily noticeable throughout Game 1. Eichel is impacting the game in more ways than one, and if he can find the back of the net again (he hasn't scored since Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round), then Vegas will be even more difficult to defeat.

Matthew Tkachuk (Down): Granted it's only one game, but the Golden Knights limited Tkachuk offensively, and his frustrations boiled over late in the third period, when he was assessed a roughing penalty and game misconduct. Tkachuk needs to be better and stay more composed if the Panthers are to even the best-of-7 series in Game 2 on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Golden Knights defensemen (Up): Entering Game 1, only three goals had been scored by Golden Knights defensemen this postseason. On Saturday, though, Theodore and Zach Whitecloud each scored, and Vegas' defensemen accounted for 12 of its 33 shots on goal.

Sergei Bobrovsky (down): Bobrovsky wasn't terrible, but unlike his run against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, he didn't make the timely saves to keep the Panthers in the game. It will be interesting to see how Bobrovsky bounces back after an average, by his playoff standards, performance.

Environment in Vegas (Up): Vegas is known for its incredible pregame introductions, and the atmosphere generated by the crowd throughout made for a raucous Game 1 environment.

What we learned

Steady as she goes

The Golden Knights have been known to not get too emotional in games. Their experience allows them to keep playing their game regardless of the circumstances. On Saturday, Vegas won more battles than Florida and was just better in most aspects of the game. More importantly, it didn't get sucked into the type of game the Panthers wanted to play late in the third. The Golden Knights also got timely goals from unlikely sources in Theodore and Whitecloud. It's the same old story: Vegas plays its game and gets a balanced effort from everyone.

Keep your composure

The moment they fell behind 4-2, the Panthers let their emotions boil over. However, if they want to even the series, they will need to keep their composure because the Golden Knights rarely get sucked into any type of mind games, as previously exhibited in their series against the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.