7 Observations: Golden Knights Win Game 5 in Dramatic Fashion

The Vegas Golden Knights entered a pivotal Game 5 and avoided a slow start; right from puck drop, they played like their season was on the line. And, in a way, it was– when a series is tied, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs historically carries the most weight in determining the winner.

The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night at 8:25 in the first period. Reilly Smith took a high sticking penalty 7:59 into the first period to send the Wild to the power play. Jack Eichel intercepted Kirill Kaprizov’s fake shot pass and raced up the ice with a head of steam. He entered the zone, shrugged off Kaprizov, and set up William Karlsson for an easy empty-net tap-in. 

The Wild scored the equalizer 13 seconds later. Mats Zuccarello threaded a cross-ice pass to Kirill Kaprizov, who wired a one-timer past Adin Hill. 

The Golden Knights regained the lead at 13:24 in the first period. Jack Eichel intercepted the puck in the neutral zone, blew past Brock Faber, and drifted below the goal line. He pulled up, spun away from Jonas Brodin, and found Mark Stone in the high slot for a one-time blast.

In the second period, the Golden Knights had two power play opportunities. Although they didn’t score, they had plenty of looks and moved the puck extremely well. They killed off two penalties and held the Wild to seven shots.

Marc-André Fleury replaced Filip Gustavsson in goal at the start of the third period. The Golden Knights only tested him seven times and didn’t register their first shot on goal until 13:43 into the period. 

The Wild, on the other hand, came out with a vengeance. They pressured the Golden Knights out of the gate and tied the game 3:31 into the third period. Joel Eriksson Ek threaded a cross-ice pass to Matt Boldy, who shielded the puck and blew past Alex Pietrangelo. Boldy drove the net, pulled to his forehand, and flipped the puck past Adin Hill.

The Golden Knights narrowly escaped regulation. With 1:15 remaining in the third period, Ryan Hartman scored, but the Golden Knights successfully challenged for offsides.

At 4:05 in overtime, the Golden Knights scored to take a 3-2 series lead. Nic Hague pinched, holding in Zach Bogosian’s clearing attempt and working the puck back to Tanner Pearson below the goal line. Pearson backhanded a pass to Brett Howden in the slot who beat Marc-André Fleury high-glove.

Three stars of the game: Brett Howden, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. Jack Eichel was a non-factor through four games of this series. However, in Game 5, he made up for it and then some. He was a man possessed— in on the forecheck, backchecking as if his life depended on it, and he recorded two primary assists.

2. Prior to Game 5, it was a quiet series offensively for William Karlsson and Mark Stone. Stone, Karlsson, and Eichel breaking through is huge for the Golden Knights as they proceed in the series and, potentially, deeper into the playoffs.

3. It’s been a rough series for the Golden Knights in terms of team defense. However, they really seemed to find their stride in Game 5– through just over 64 minutes of hockey, they held the Wild to 22 shots on goal.

4. The Golden Knights got very, very lucky on Ryan Hartman’s disallowed goal. After a great first two periods, they fell asleep at the wheel and didn’t record a shot on a cold goaltender until 13:43 into the third period. 

5. Marc-André Fleury appeared in his 18th postseason on Tuesday, surpassing Martin Brodeur. He’s not in a Golden Knights sweater anymore, but it’s pretty incredible to see Flower playing meaningful postseason hockey in his last-ever postseason.

6. Brett Howden’s game-winner was excellent, but it wouldn’t have happened without Tanner Pearson. He recognized that Howden was alone in the slot and waited until Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi converged on him before attempting a pass.

7. After the year he’s had, it feels only right that Brett Howden scored the biggest goal for the Golden Knights so far this postseason. He became the first Golden Knight in franchise history to score two playoff overtime game-winning goals.