Golden Knights' balanced scoring key against Panthers in Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- Bruce Cassidy said there's almost always someone who breaks out in the Stanley Cup Final and becomes a big-time goal-scorer on hockey's biggest stage.

It appears, though, that everyone is breaking out for the Vegas Golden Knights after their 7-2 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

"You know, everybody is a threat on the ice," the Golden Knights coach said Tuesday. "Pretty much every Stanley Cup story involves a guy or two that you don't expect maybe to contribute offense and does. We're certainly a part of that story this year."

It's a big reason why the Golden Knights have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series heading into Game 3 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

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Twelve Vegas skaters had at least one point in Game 2, including two goals and an assist by top-six forward Jonathan Marchessault and production from the bottom six -- two goals by Brett Howden, and goals from Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio.

Chandler Stephenson, Jack Eichel and William Carrier each had two assists.

Amadio's goal at 10:33 in the third period gave Vegas its ninth different goal-scorer through the first two games of the Final. That eclipsed the previous record of eight, set by the 1973 Montreal Canadiens, 1980 Philadelphia Flyers, 1981 and 1982 New York Islanders, 2006 Carolina Hurricanes and 2014 Los Angeles Kings. All except the Flyers won the Stanley Cup.

The Golden Knights scored 12 goals in the first two games of the Final. That ties them with the 1932 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1936 Detroit Red Wings, 1970 Boston Bruins, 1973 Canadiens and 1981 and 1982 Islanders.

"Part of our game plan, we know we have depth, we know we roll four lines, get a good forecheck, we'll get rewarded," said Marchessault, who has a three-game goal streak, seven-game point streak and six multipoint games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tying a Golden Knights record for most in a single postseason set by Mark Stone in 2018.

Vegas defensemen have contributed to the scoring with three goals in two games. Alec Martinez scored his first of the playoffs Monday. Zach Whitecloud scored the winning goal in a 5-2 victory in Game 1, when Shea Theodore also scored his first of the postseason.

"You know our [defensemen] shoot the puck hard and join at the right time," Cassidy said. "So, they're not going to sacrifice opportunities at our end for reckless play at the other.

"There was a question earlier about (Martinez) scoring, it's just great for the guys because they know what he gives at the other end. Same with a lot of our forwards. Different guys check for us and kill penalties and if they're able to get on the score sheet, it just gets everyone else excited."

Martinez, who won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, said balanced scoring is the hallmark of championship teams. Vegas has 18 players who've scored at least one goal this postseason. The Colorado Avalanche had 16 with at least one goal when they won the Cup last season. The St. Louis Blues had 20 players with one or more postseason goals in 2019, and the Washington Capitals had 18 during their 2018 championship run.

"I sound like a broken record, but this time of year you need to have scoring by committee, you need to have that scoring depth throughout your lineup," Martinez said. "You can't just rely on one, two lines. It's something you need, and fortunately, we've been able to get that."

Teddy Blueger, who has two points (one goal, one assist) in six playoff games, agreed.

"Whether it's a [defenseman], whether it's again on the fourth line, whether it's whoever, I think guys have stepped up all year," the forward said. "It's the same for the playoffs. So, that's what makes us a really good team."

And a big reason why Vegas eliminated the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars on its way to the Cup Final.

"Whether it's 'overwhelming,' that's a strong word," Cassidy said in response to a postgame question Monday. "I just think it's been really good for us."