Brett Howden scored at 4:05 of overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
William Karlsson scored a short-handed goal, Jack Eichel had two assists and Mark Stone also scored for Vegas, which took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
In OT, Howden, alone at the bottom edge of the left circle, one-timed a backhand pass from Tanner Pearson from the end boards inside the far post. It was his third goal of the playoffs and second career overtime winner.
“Pearson drawing two guys to him put me alone in front there,” Howden said. “I just tried to get it off quick. Pearson made a great play there.”
Pearson added, “It’s kind of been a thing all year for us to have a person in that spot. I heard Howie yelling, and he made a heckuva shot.”
Adin Hill made 20 saves for the Golden Knights, who can wrap up the series with a Game 6 win on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each scored a goal and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists for Minnesota.
“Obviously, it’s just a couple of inches from winning the thing. It is what it is,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. “… It’s on to the next one. The only thing that matters right now is winning the next one, and then go from there.
“I think we’re playing the right way. We’re getting our chances. We’re getting our looks. We’re never out of the fight. That’s who we are. We’re going to be ready to go on Thursday.”
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 of 25 shots before giving way to Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period because of an illness.
Fleury finished with six saves and moved past Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most Stanley Cup postseasons by a goalie in NHL history, 18.
Vegas took a 1-0 lead at 8:25 of the first period on the third short-handed playoff goal of Karlsson’s career. Karlsson broke out on an odd-man rush with Eichel, who hit him with a crossing pass from the right wing. Karlsson fired a shot into a wide-open left side of the net for his first goal of the 2025 playoffs.
Minnesota tied it just 13 seconds later on a power-play goal by Kaprizov, who one-timed a pass from Mats Zuccarello from the bottom of the right circle five-hole on Hill. It was Kaprizov’s 15th career playoff goal, one behind Zach Parise’s team record of 16, and his fifth of the series.
Eichel, who entered the game with no goals and one assist in the first four games, got his second assist of the period when he set up Stone’s one-timer from inside the blue line at 13:24. The shot went past Karlsson’s screen and through Gustavsson’s pads for Stone’s 38th career playoff goal.
Minnesota unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference on the score, but the Wild were able to kill the ensuing delay-of-game penalty.
Boldy tied it 2-2 early in the third period when he powered around Alex Pietrangelo on the right wing and then chipped a shot over Hill’s glove. It was his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Minnesota appeared to take a 3-2 lead with 1:15 to go in regulation on a Ryan Hartman shot, but Vegas successfully challenged that Gustav Nyquist was offside entering the zone. That set the stage for overtime.
“That was a big call, right?” Pearson said. “Maybe it was our night after getting that call. Now we have to go finish the series.”
Minnesota coach John Hynes said, “It’s a race to four (wins). It’s not a race to three. Like I’ve said all series, it’s right there.”
–Field Level Media
