LAS VEGAS -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant tried to downplay Vegas' 5-2 victory over the team that fired him just over a year ago -- the Florida Panthers -- on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas goalie Malcolm Subban, however, was having none of it.

"I think it was huge for him," said Subban, who made 16 saves. "Obviously, you want to get a win every night. Like all the players here, getting a win against your old team feels pretty good, and I'm sure it's no different for him."

Jonathan Marchessault, whom Vegas plucked from the Panthers in the expansion draft, had a goal and two assists, and Erik Haula scored the game-winner with 8:20 remaining. Vegas (21-9-2) moved back into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings (20-10-4).

"It's our old team, and we wanted to get that win, and we have a great thing going on," Marchessault said. "We just want to keep it going."

Nate Schmidt, Colin Miller and James Neal also had goals for Vegas, which improved to 13-2-1 at home this season. The Golden Knights, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning share the NHL lead with 13 home wins.

"No, not at all," Gallant said if the win had added significance because of his firing by the Panthers after a loss at Carolina on Nov. 27, 2016. "It's another game for me. I was fortunate to be with that team 2 1/2 years as a head coach and enjoyed every minute of it. I got ready for this game the same way I get ready for every game. It doesn't make one bit of a difference for me."

James Reimer made 35 saves and Radim Vrbata and Mike Matheson each had goals for Florida (12-16-5). The Panthers have won just two of their past nine games.

Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 5:13 on almost identical goals by Vrbata (on the power play) and Matheson. Both fired in cross-ice passes from the left circle over Subban's glove hand. Vrbata got a nice feed from Denis Malgin, while a trailing Matheson converted a feed from Evgenii Dadonov.

Vegas cut it to 2-1 at 6:39 of the first period when Schmidt scored his second goal of the season, slapping in a shot from about 10 feet to the right of the net. Miller tied it at 17:20 of the opening period, blasting a pass from Marchessault from just inside the blue line directly in front of Reimer.

"Obviously not a great start for us, but we managed to battle back," Miller said. "Don't think it was the cleanest game for us all year, but we managed to find a way to get it done."

Vegas finally took its first lead, 3-2, when an unguarded Haula, standing to the left of the net, redirected a shot from a spinning Marchessault near the blue line.

Marchessault then sealed the victory for Vegas with an empty-netter with 2:10 remaining, his 11th goal of the season. Neal added another empty-netter, his 16th of the season, on a long clearance from just to the side of Subban with 28 seconds left.

"I thought we started to get our legs," Gallant said of his team's big third period. "I thought we started to forecheck really well and we made them make mistakes, and the guys were starting to drive to the net."

Vegas outshot the Panthers 20-2 in the third period.

"Our third period was probably the most disappointing period for me in a long time ... maybe the season," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "Give credit to (the Golden Knights). They're a good team and a fast team."

NOTES: Vegas G Malcolm Subban was making his first start since Dec. 8 at Nashville, a game in which he had a career-high 41 saves and stopped all six shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Predators. ... Florida announced before the game that the club loaned F Dryden Hunt to its AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Hunt had one assist in 11 appearances with Florida. ... Golden Knights D Deryk Engelland played in his 500th NHL game. ... The Panthers scratched C Connor Brickley and D MacKenzie Weegar while Vegas scratched C Ryan Carpenter, D Luca Sbisa and D Brad Hunt.