LAS VEGAS (AP) – Vegas gave up three power-play goals on Friday night, but the Golden Knights cruised through the Western Conference Finals in large part on their penalty kill.
Clinging to a two-goal lead and facing 4:36 of a big penalty against the NHL's deadliest power play entering the third period, the Knights gave up just one more goal and defeated the Edmonton oilers 4–3. defeated.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said, “This could have been a turning point in the game big time, and we got through it.” “Even though we lost two to three goals in the special teams battle, I think in our mind we won.”
Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists as the Knights took a 3–2 series lead. Mark Stone, Reilly Smith and Nick Hague also scored, and Jonathan Marchesault tied a franchise playoff record with three assists for the Golden Knights. Aiden Hill had 31 saves.
connor mcdavid scored two power-play goals for the Oilers, Zack Hyman had a goal and an assist and Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each totaled two assists. Stuart Skinner was pulled late in the second period after giving up four goals on 22 shots, and Jack Campbell stopped all nine shots he faced in relief.
Game 6 is on Sunday in Edmonton, Alberta.
both teams played without key defenders, The Knights were without Alex Pietrangelo, who was suspended for this game for slashing Leon Draisitl at the end of wednesday's Game 4. Edmonton's Darnell Nurse sat out after being suspended for a flogging and misconduct penalty in the same game.
McDavid and Hyman scored in the first 10 minutes to give Edmonton a 2–1 lead. McDavid's goal came just 3:02 into the game, continuing a trend.
The Oilers have scored within the first 6:46 of every game this season and once in the first four minutes. Vegas responded to the early deficit by coming back and winning Games 1 and 3, but never recovered in the other two one-sided Oilers victories.
However, the Knights scored three goals in 1:29 of the second period to take a 4–2 lead. It was the fastest three goals in a playoff game in Vegas' six-year history.
“It's not that we don't want to score the first goal,” said Cassidy. “Don't take yourself out of the game in the first period. A goal shouldn't do it, it did the other night in Edmonton.”
Two goals on essentially the same power play – Stone on 5-on-3 and Smith on 5-on-4, his first of the playoffs. Hague soon scored from near the blue line to chase down Skinner, the third time this season he had been pulled in favor of Campbell.
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said, “Jack came in and did his job.” They gave us a chance to win the game and I thought our team worked hard in that third period. I felt the power play did its job with the bat. We had several chances to tie it.
That five-minute power play came just when it looked like Vegas would take all the momentum into the third period. Keegan Kolesar then pushed Edmonton's Mattias Ekholm up on the board with 20.9 seconds remaining. Kolesar was sent off with a game misconduct penalty.
McDavid scored 2:40 into the third period, but it was the only goal on the power play that kept the Knights ahead 4–3. This was McDavid's seventh goal in the playoffs.
“That's the difference in the game,” Hill said. “You give two there and it's a tie game and who knows what happens from there? Our guys did a great job.”
McDavid UP for League MVP
McDavid is one of three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which goes to the league's most valuable player. He led the NHL in goals (64), assists (89) and points (153) this season. All were career highs.
Should he win, it would be McDavid's second Hart Trophy in three years and third since 2017.
Apart from this, David Pasternak of Boston Bruins and Matthew Tkachuk of Florida Panthers are also ahead for Hart.
Marathon day for Carlsen
William Carlson said he slept for about four hours after his wife, Emily, gave birth to a boy on Friday morning. He played about 19 minutes and had one assist. Carlsen is the sixth new father on the team.
“We might call people again in July or August, ‘Let's get back to work guys,'” Cassidy said.
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