Tomas Nosek netted a late brace as the Vegas Golden Knights battled through a closely-fought match to defeat the Washington Capitals 6-4 in the opening game of the Stanley Cup finals.
A topsy-turvy match saw the two sides trade scores in the first and second periods, before the Golden Knights finally broke clear with two extra goals in the closing minutes.
Vegas were the first to make it onto the scoreboard through Colin Miller after seven minutes, but the Capitals answered back by netting twice in 42 seconds thanks to Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom.
William Karlsson made it 2-2 after the first 20 minutes, while Reilly Smith took a wrist shot three minutes in to the second period to help the Golden Knights edge ahead.
Stanley Cup final series betting (odds via Sky Bet)
- Las Vegas to win the Stanley Cup - 4/9
- Washington to win the Stanley Cup - 15/8
Their lead did not last long, however, and - after less than two minutes of the final period - the scores were once again even at 4-4.
In the end, Nosek scored the tie-breaking goal just under halfway through the period, before consolidating the lead with just three seconds to go.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the Golden Knights in a game which saw a total of four lead changes.
Game two of the best-of-seven series will be played on Wednesday night.
