Dan Kingerski
It was supposed to be the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights in a classic showdown of heated rivals who have stood in each other’s way for several years. Instead, the upstart Anaheim Ducks, who advanced and were on the precipice of playing one of their best defensive games of the playoffs and taking the Golden Knights to overtime in Game 1 of their Round Two series.
Instead, the Golden Knights got a break late in the third period and claimed a 3-1 win at T-Mobile Arena. The VGK lead the series 1-0.
The disputed play was a race for icing between Jack Eichel and Anaheim D-man Jackson LaCombe–previously Eichel’s Team USA teammate. The linesman waved off the icing call, seemingly indicating that Eichel had won the race to the dot.
Well, kind of. Maybe. The nuance of the rule is that it’s not merely a race to the faceoff dot, but the linesman’s judgement on who is about to win the puck. If the icing team has a better chance at the puck, icing is to be waved off. And that’s what happened, leading to Ivan Barbashev’s game winning goal mere moments later.
“I disagree with the call,” said Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville postgame. Quenneville and Anaheim players immediately threw up their hands after the play.
After Eichel wiggled his way around LaCombe and poked the puck to open ice at the right mid-wall. Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev didn’t quit on the play and stickhandled toward the Anaheim net before dishing a cross-crease pass to Barbashev (3) for a 2-1 lead and the game winner at 15:02 of the third.
The Golden Knights held the lead for most of the second period and deep into the third. However, Anaheim forward Mikael Granlund tied the game 1-1 at 13:53 of the third. LaCombe dashed from the blue line down low in the zone and threaded a pass through several players to Granlund in the right circle. Granlund (3) snapped it into the yawning cage after Golden Knights defenders and Hart focused on LaCombe.
Brett Howden was the very willing recipient of Mitch Marner’s dazzling puck control. Finishing the rush chance, Marner played with the puck like a yo-yo on the right wing before finding an ever-so-small seam to slip the pass to the racing Howden (5), who quickly redirected the puck into the net from a few feet away at 3:14 of the second period.
Marner (3) also added the empty netter.
The Golden Knights were a bit undisciplined, giving Anaheim four power plays, but the Golden Knights killed them off.
Anaheim also outshot the VGK 34-22 and had double-digit shots in each period. Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart has settled after a rough start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He stopped 33 of 34. Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal stopped 19 of 21.
Marner and Tomas Hertl led the Golden Knights with three shots each.
The Golden Knights host Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena Wednesday. The puck drop is set for just after 6:30 p.m. PDT.
