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March 28, 2024

Blog: Stone wins Game 5 for Golden Knights in OT; Vegas one win from advancing

Golden Knights Win Game 5 in OT

David Zalubowski/AP

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defenseman Zach Whitecloud and right wing Reilly Smith celebrate with teammates after the Golden Knights scored in overtime of Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, as Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, back, reacts Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Denver. The Golden Knights won 3-2.

Updated Tuesday, June 8, 2021 | 10:08 p.m.

Golden Knights Win Game 5 in OT

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden celebrates with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defenseman Zach Whitecloud and right wing Reilly Smith, from left, after the Golden Knights scored in overtime of Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Denver. The Golden Knights won 3-2. Launch slideshow »

The Golden Knights rallied back from a 2-0 deficit, both in the series and in tonight's game against the Colorado Avalanche. They won 3-2 on Tuesday at Ball Arena and lead the series by the same margin.

Vegas erased a multiple-goal lead in the third period to force overtime and that's when Mark Stone won it, connecting on a breakaway 50 seconds into the extra frame and sending the Golden Knights to a Game 5 victory.

The Golden Knights will have the chance to eliminate the Avalanche at 6 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

Colorado scored with 1.8 seconds remaining in the first period, then again in the second after a frame of relentless pressure. The Avalanche led 2-0, their first multiple-goal lead since their Game 1 victory.

But Vegas wasn't done yet. Alex Tuch scored 1:03 into the third to chip away at the lead, then Jonathan Marchessault tied it just over three minutes later.

Then in overtime, Max Pacioretty and Alex Pietrangelo worked the puck to Stone and he did the rest, roofing it past Philipp Grubauer for the winner.

Check back to lasvegassun.com later for more coverage and read below for live updates from the game.

Golden Knights rally in third to force overtime in Game 5 against Avalanche

The Golden Knights looked dead in the water in the second period and trailed 2-0. They needed a great response to keep the game alive and they did just that.

The Golden Knights scored twice 4:07 into the third period Tuesday, erasing the Avalanche lead and sending Game 5 to overtime at Ball Arena.

It's the second overtime game of the series. The Avalanche won Game 2 by a 3-2 score.

Whatever Vegas said in the dressing room during second intermission worked, because the Golden Knights came out like a brand new team to start the final regulation period.

Nicolas Roy generated a turnover in the first minute and fed Alex Tuch, who was charging to the the net. He batted the puck out of the air and by goalie Philipp Grubauer at 1:07 and Vegas had life.

The next goal came off a textbook Vegas rush. Colorado got aggressive in the offensive zone, and it turned into a 3-on-2 the other way. William Karlsson cut to the center of the ice and fed Jonathan Marchessault, just keeping the puck clear from the stick of the sliding Samuel Girard. Marchessault roofed it, and the game was tied at 4:07.

The Golden Knights even killed off Colorado's only power play of regulation after Shea Theodore flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game. They did not allow a shot while killing it off.

Colorado finished regulation with a 28-24 lead in shots on goal.

Golden Knights chasing two goals heading to third against Avalanche

As good as the Golden Knights have looked for the past couple of games, the Avalanche turned that right back around on them in the second period of Game 5.

Even if the first-period goal was a little goofy, the second-period one wasn't. It was the result of a period's worth of pressure, and the Avalanche extended their lead to 2-0 after two at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

Colorado was relentless all period, firing seven of the first 10 shots of the frame and holding the zone for a majority of period. They had just about every scoring chance, including a partial breakaway by Tyson Jost and an Alex Newhook wrap-around try that Reilly Smith darted in to and sticked it away.

Finally at 16:28 of the period, the dam broke. Newhook found Joonas Donskoi alone in the slot, and Donskoi one-timed it over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder to put the Avalanche up 2-0.

The Golden Knights had trouble sustaining offense low in the zone all period, evidenced by who was taking the shots. Eleven of the Golden Knights' 14 shots have come from the sticks of defensemen, and until Alex Tuch put a backhand on net with 1:10 left in the second, Chandler Stephenson was the only forward with a shot.

Vegas mustered just five shots on goal in the second period, and trailed 21-14 for the game.

Avalanche put Golden Knights in early Game 5 hole

The Golden Knights and Avalanche played the first period of Game 5 like boxers feeling each other round, readying for a long bout. Colorado just snuck in one body blow before the round ended.

Brandon Saad scored with 1.8 seconds remaining in the first period for the Avalanche, and put Vegas in a 1-0 hole at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

The chess match started immediately. As the road team, Vegas declares its starting lineup first, and when it sent out the top line of Max Pacioretty, Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone, the Avalanche countered not with their own top line, but a newly formed second line of Gabriel Landeskog, J.T. Compher and Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado's top line has struggled the last few games, mostly against that Golden Knights top line, and the Avalanche started the game by showing they were going to hunt for more favorable matchups.

Early on, it worked. Nathan MacKinnon and his line of Mikko Rantanen and Brandon Saad pounced on Vegas' second unit, creating the first great scoring chance of the game but Rantanen couldn't finish against an open net. He took a penalty moments later to send Vegas to the first power play of the game, but the Golden Knights did not get a shot on goal.

In the first period, MacKinnon spent a grand total of 13 seconds on the ice with Stone. He played most of his time against Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, a line against which his own line had lots of success in Game 1.

The Avalanche caught a break at the end of the period, and it led to the only goal of the frame. Saad motored down the wing and flung a shot on net that even he couldn't have thought was going in. Marc-Andre Fleury saw it, stuck his glove across his body to nab it and missed, allowing the puck to sneak through in the final two seconds.

It was Saad's fourth of the series, and the fourth time Colorado scored first in a game.

Shots were even 10-10 after a period.

Golden Knights ready for best-of-three series with Avalanche

The Golden Knights are pleased with their two victories at home in Games 3 and 4 to even up the second round at two games apiece, but they know it's a new series now.

The Golden Knights also realize the importance of getting home and mentally resetting after two losses, doing just that last week. The best-of-seven series has come down to a best-of-three, with two games at Ball Arena in Denver, statistically one of the hardest buildings in the league to win in this year. Vegas will have to win here at least once to advance and will get its first chance at 6 p.m. in Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche.

"We've won in this building before," Vegas forward William Carrier said. "We've just got to play a smart game."

Colorado went 22-4-2 at home in the regular season, though one of those credited "home" games came at Lake Tahoe. Still, six losses all year at home is impressive, and then the Avalanche went and won their first four home games of the postseason.

As Carrier mentioned, though, the Golden Knights were alright at Ball Arena in the regular season. They went 2-1 in this building and outplayed Colorado in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 2.

Since that Game 2, the Golden Knights have steamrolled the Avalanche in terms of puck possession then saw those numbers manifest into a Game 4 blowout. For eight periods of hockey, the Golden Knights have been the far better team, but getting home might be just what gets the Avalanche back on track. Vegas is preparing for it.

"They're going to make adjustments obviously — we've played well the last two games — so we're going to have make adjustments to their adjustments. It's just how the games go," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "You want to take the positives, but I think the important part for this group is taking time to learn, even in these games that we've played well, what we can do better and the adjustments that we can make to continue to get better."

Based on morning skate, it appears the Golden Knights will be making some lineup changes ahead of Game 5, including the potential of a surprise scratch.

Forward Mattias Janmark returned to the ice this morning for the first time since he left Game 1 of this series with an injury, and defenseman Nick Holden did not remain on the ice with the extras after practice. Both are indicators they could return to the lineup.

Skating with the extras were Nicolas Hague — who looks in line to sit for Holden — and Ryan Reaves, who has not been scratched from a playoff game since 2018. He's missed four playoff games in the last three years: three to suspension and one to the league's COVID list. He returned for Game 5 after a two-game suspension and could be looking at his first healthy scratch under coach Pete DeBoer.

Lineups will be confirmed during warmups tonight.

Janmark's return will be a boost to Vegas, which acquired him at the trade deadline and saw him lead the team six points in the first round against the Wild, including a Game 7 hat trick. Though the Golden Knights did not take line rushes during their optional morning skate, if Janmark plays, he is expected to return to the third line with Nicolas Roy and Alex Tuch. With Reaves a potential scratch, that would set up a fourth line of William Carrier, Patrick Brown and Keegan Kolesar.

Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net. He has played every game of the postseason except for Game 1 against the Avalanche and has registered a 6-4 record with a .924 save percentage and league-best 1.79 goals-against average.

The Golden Knights have only ever played one Game 5 with the series tied, and they defeated the Sharks in 2018 and won the series in six games. They are 3-5 all-time in Game 5 of a series.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2

Series: Tied 2-2

TV: NBC Sports Network (DirecTV 220, Cox 38, CenturyLink 640)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights plus-125, Avalanche minus-145; over/under: 5.5 (EVEN, minus-120)

Golden Knights (6-5, West Division No. 2 seed)

Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season)

Points leader: William Karlsson (9)

Goals leader: Jonathan Marchessault (5)

Assists leader: William Karlsson (6)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (1.79 GAA, .924 save percentage)

Avalanche (6-2, West Division No. 1 seed)

Coach: Jared Bednar (fifth season)

Points leader: Nathan MacKinnon (13)

Goals leader: Nathan MacKinnon (8)

Assists leaders: Gabriel Landeskog (8)

Expected goalie: Philipp Grubauer (2.25 GAA, .929 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Mattias Janmark—Nicolas Roy—Alex Tuch

William Carrier—Patrick Brown—Keegan Kolesar

Defensemen

Alec Martinez—Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb—Shea Theodore

Nick Holden—Zach Whitecloud

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Robin Lehner

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