Brett Howden scored 1:35 into overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 win over Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night in Las Vegas
Howden collected a shot from Mark Stone behind the goal, then took a left leg rear shot from Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger into the net for his first career playoff overtime goal.
THE Stars had tied the game when Jamie Benn scored with 1:59 remaining in regulation time
William Karlsson scored two goals, Teddy Blueger also scored and Zach Whitecloud had two assists for Vegas. golden knights goaltender Adin Hill made 33 saves
Roope Hintz had a goal and two assists while Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for Dallas. Joe Pavelski added two assists and Oettinger finished with 33 saves.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas
Dallas then took advantage of a strange rebound on the corner boards to take a 1-0 lead at 18:44 of the first period. Alex Pietrangelo’s clearance pass behind goal bounced off the boards in the center of the left circle, where Hintz picked it up and fired a shot towards goal which Robertson redirected through Hill’s pads.
Robertson scored his third playoff goal while breaking an eight-game drought.
The bad rebounds leveled off midway through the second period when Karlsson tied the game at 1-1. Whitecloud fired a shot from the right spot. The puck flew off the end boards directly toward Karlsson rushing past the left side of the net, where he whistled a wrist shot into an open net.
Karlsson gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 1:19 of the third period when he picked up a loose puck and fired a wrist shot from the high slot through Oettinger’s pads for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
THE golden knights‘the advance did not last long. Hintz took a cross pass from Pavelski in the left circle, then fired a shot from the near post. It was Hintz’s 10th goal
Blueger, who sat out Vegas’ first nine playoff games, put the golden knights ahead 3-2 at 9:20 of the third with his first goal of the playoffs. He shoveled a loose puck from the crease after Keegan Kolesar, hit by Ryan Suter, crashed into Oettinger as he headed for the net.
Dallas decided not to contest the goaltender’s interference on the play.
THE Stars fired Oettinger for an extra forward and Benn tied it at 18:01 when he slipped a back kick pass from Pavelski under Hill’s left pad on a goalmouth rush. It was his third goal of the playoffs. Hintz also had an assist, giving him a league-leading 22 playoff points.
–Field-Level Media