Global Courant 2023-05-13 10:09:39
Jack Eichel scored a goal and had two assists for the Vegas Golden Knights in Friday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers to take a 3-2 lead in their playoff series.
Reilly Smith, Mark Stone and Nicolas Hague also scored for Vegas, who scored three times in the space of one minute and 29 seconds in the second period.
Jonathan Marchessault had three assists for the Knights and goalkeeper Adin Hill made 31 saves for the win.
Connor McDavid scored twice for the Oilers, who go home to Edmonton and need a win in Sunday’s Game 6 to avoid elimination.
If necessary, a Game 7 would be Tuesday in Las Vegas.
LOOK | Hague scores decisive goal against Oilers in Game 5:
Golden Knights’ Hague causes the winner to give Vegas a 3-2 lead over Oilers
Nicolas Hague’s first goal of the playoffs proved to be the winner as Vegas beat Edmonton 4-3 in game five on Friday night.
Zach Hyman scored a goal and had an assist for Edmonton. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defender Evan Bouchard each had two assists
Stuart Skinner was replaced by Jack Campbell after the Golden Knights scored four goals on 23 shots. Skinner was drawn for the second time in three games in the second period.
Campbell stopped all nine shots he faced for the rest of the game.
The Oilers are the last Canadian NHL club to challenge for a Stanley Cup this year, as the Toronto Maple Leafs were knocked out in Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers.
It has been 30 years since a Canadian club won the trophy. The Montreal Canadiens won it in 1993.
Edmonton scored three power play goals on four chances, as the Knights went 2-for-5 on Friday.
Fastest 3 playoff goals in Golden Knights history
Trailing 2-1, the Golden Knights scored their three fastest playoff goals in their six-year history starting at 14:03 of the second period.
A pair of power play goals in the space of 29 seconds and a goal of equal strength a minute later gave the hosts a 3–2 lead en route to the third.
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The Oilers had four and a half minutes of power play time to start the third due to Keegan Kolesar’s major and misplay by shoving Mattias Ekholm face-first into the corner boards with 23 seconds left in the second.
McDavid scored his second power play goal of the game and seventh goal of the playoffs by skating three gold jerseys and tapping in his own rebound at 3:40.
McDavid, the NHL’s top scorer in the regular season, was nominated Friday for the Hart Trophy, which he won in both 2021 and 2017.
LOOK | McDavid scores beautiful goal in 3rd period:
McDavid’s 7th goal of the playoffs nothing but spectacular in Game 5
Connor McDavid’s stunning goal, his second goal of the game, put the Oilers within one goal of game five.
The Golden Knights’ chance of an extended men’s advantage in the third – Warren Foegele’s double minor to high-stick Shea Theodore – was reduced by Eichel’s rough minor 67 seconds after Foegele went to the box.
Campbell was pulled for an extra forward with two minutes left in regulation, but the Oilers were unable to produce a tying run.
Hague fired a shot from the blue line through traffic to the top corner of Edmonton’s net at 3:34 p.m. of the second period, as Skinner’s night ended.
The puck bounced off McDavid’s skate toward the Edmonton net and Smith swept it past Skinner at 2:32 p.m.
Vegas scored a five-for-three goal at 14:03 when Stone reached over Skinner and wrapped the puck around the far path of the Edmonton goaltender.
Both of Edmonton’s power play goals in the first period were scored on rebounds from Ryan-Nugent Hopkins shots. The puck rebounded off Hyman standing on the Knights’ doorstep at 9:56.
McDavid scored at 3:02, firing a rebound high off Hill. Vegas reacted just 50 seconds later when Eichel jumped on a loose puck at the edge of the crease and made the most of a half-open net.
Connor converts early pic.twitter.com/kGkM3zmKa0
The Oilers challenged for goaltender interference believing Eichel pushed Edmonton defenseman Vincent Desharnais into Skinner, but lost the challenge for a subsequent Vegas power play.
The Oilers were minus defenseman Darnell Nurse for his one-game suspension for inciting a fight in the final minute of Wednesday’s Game 3.
The Knights were without defender Alex Pietrangelo, who was also serving a one-game suspension for knife-making Leon Draisaitl late in Wednesday’s game.
