Could 5, 2026, 1:05 a.m. ET
Ivan Barbashev scored a controversial go-ahead purpose with 4:58 remaining within the third interval, main the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Sport 1 of their Western Convention second-round playoff sequence on Monday in Las Vegas.
Barbashev’s purpose got here after the Golden Knights regained possession in the suitable nook when Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who was screening Jack Eichel, and the remainder of the Geese let up whereas anticipating an icing name. Barbashev had fired the puck into the zone from behind the crimson line.
Nevertheless, icing was waived off on the final second and Pavel Dorofeyev crossed a cross to Barbashev, who roofed a shot from the left facet of the crease for the game-winner.
Carter Hart stopped 33 of 34 pictures, Mitch Marner scored a empty-net purpose and had an help and Brett Howden additionally tallied for Vegas, which improved to 28-8-3 all-time towards Anaheim, together with 16-3-1 at residence.
Mikael Granlund scored a purpose and Lukas Dostal completed with 19 saves for Anaheim.
Sport 2 of the best-of-seven sequence is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6 in Las Vegas.
Shortly after Anaheim’s Troy Terry rang a wrist shot from the suitable circle off the suitable submit, Vegas took a 1-0 lead on the 3:14 mark of the second interval. Howden, who scored solely 12 targets in 58 regular-season video games, produced his fifth in seven playoff video games when he redirected Marner’s cross-ice cross by means of visitors contained in the left submit.
Anaheim had a good chance to tie it halfway by means of the interval when Leo Carlsson made a highlight-reel spinning cross to LaCombe alone on the fringe of the suitable circle. Nevertheless, LaCombe, the workforce’s main scorer within the Geese’ first-round win over Edmonton with 9 factors, handed up a shot at a wide-open web to cross to Terry in entrance of the blue paint. The puck slid previous Terry’s stick.
The Geese tied it 1-1 with 6:03 to go within the third interval. LaCombe drove down the left wing and crossed a cross to Granlund, who ripped in a wrist shot for his third purpose of the playoffs.
Vegas regained the lead simply 65 seconds in a while Barbashev’s purpose as Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville and the Geese bench angrily protested the non-icing name.
The Geese pulled Dostal for an additional attacker with 1:55 to go, and Marner sealed the win with a length-of-the-ice empty-netter with six seconds remaining.