Nothing comes easy for the Vegas Golden Knights when the game goes beyond regulation—at least, that was the story during the regular season. They set a franchise record by playing 26 overtime games, losing 17 of them. But the playoffs are a different beast. Now playing 5-on-5 in extra time, the Golden Knights are a perfect 3-0 in overtime this postseason, following a gritty 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
With the series shifting back to Anaheim, the Golden Knights hold a 3-2 edge. Game 6 is set for 6:52 p.m. PST at the Honda Center, and if this series has taught us anything, it's that every shift counts.
The game took an early turn when Brayden McNabb, the team's reliable stay-at-home defenseman, was ejected just nine minutes into the first period for a hit on Ryan Poehling. McNabb logged only 3:17 of ice time, leaving the Golden Knights with just five defensemen for 55 grueling minutes. Poehling left the game visibly shaken and was later ruled out with an upper-body injury.
Head coach John Tortorella refused to comment on the call directly but couldn't hide his pride in the team's resilience. "It's just no sense talking about it… I just don't get it," he said after the 3-2 win. "High marks for the whole team tonight. I'm proud of the team tonight. Getting down, losing Nabber, one of our top D, losing him—I think he played three minutes—and still finding a way to get things done, to get a win, I'm really proud of the hockey club."
Can we start calling Pavel Dorofeyev 'Mr. Game 5' yet? In the First Round, his hat trick against the Utah Mammoth forced overtime. Tonight, he scored the Golden Knights' first goal and delivered the overtime game-winner. But the night wasn't without its scares. In the second period, Dorofeyev took a heavy shot from Jackson LaCombe to the right knee. He was slow to get up, headed down the tunnel with the trainer, but returned to the ice. "Just a blocked shot," Dorofeyev said postgame. "It's a s— part of my job, but it hurts more when I miss it."
For fans looking to rep the Golden Knights' playoff grit, gear up with our latest collection of Vegas-inspired apparel—because nothing says resilience like a team that finds a way to win, even when the odds are stacked against them.