Golden Knights Work Overtime To Beat Dallas, 4-3, On Howden Goal 1:35 Into OT In Game 1 Of WCF Friday
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
The Golden Knights went into extra time to take Game 1 against the Dallas Stars Friday.
And it didn’t take four overtimes like the Florida Panthers used to beat Carolina in Game 1 of their conference finals yesterday.
No, Brett Howden scored the game-winner a mere 95 seconds into the extra session as the Knights enjoyed a 4-3 win in Game 1 of the Best-of-7 Western Conference Finals. The crowd attendance was announced at 18,271.
“They were more ready to play than we were,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said.
But he expects his team to bounce back in Game 2: “There’s no quit in this group.”
Game 2 of Vegas vs Dallas is back at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday at 12 noon. Leave early if you’re attending the game because the road work and traffic are brutal in and around the Strip and across the metro area.
After the game, LVSportsBiz.com asked Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy about the Knights’ ability to squeeze out one-goal wins — even after blowing leads.
Cassidy said that it starts with leaders like Stanley Cup-winning defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez and the players’ ability to have a short memory after losing leads only to win those games in overtime. Like a game in the Winnipeg series and tonight’s game, he said.
Cassidy did note he’d rather close out games with wins — but he’ll take the OT Game 1 victory Friday.
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The Dallas Stars overcame a slow start to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission against Vegas in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Late in the first period, a quirky bounce of the puck off the side board sent the puck into the middle of the ice and Dallas’ Jason Robertson redirected a Dallas shot past VGK goalie Adin Hill for the sole score during the first 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger was terrific, stonewalling all 16 Golden Knights shots in period one, including a breakaway try by VGK center Jack Eichel.
The Knights played well as they were well rested after knocking out Edmonton in six games, while Dallas was extended to seven games by Seattle before the Stars advanced with a Game 7 Monday.
The VGK have won five of eight playoff games when the opposition has scored the game’s first goal.
Make that six of nine.
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The Knights responded with the tying goal midway through period two when Zach Whitecloud’s shot sailed wide of the Dallas net and the puck bounced off the board to William Karlsson, who slid the puck into the unguarded net.
The VGK nearly scored a second goal when the puck trickled past Oettinger and crawled along the red line cross the goal but the puck never fully crossed the line, so no Vegas goal.
After two periods: Dallas 1 Vegas 1
It’s not the most physical game. Dallas has only five hits after the first 40 minutes. Vegas has 22 hits. There have been no scuffles, or melees.
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Karlsson scored on Oettinger with a goal through the five hole in the third before Dallas center Roope Hintz tied the game at two apiece.
It was Karlsson’s second goal of the game — his seventh of the playoffs after scoring 14 goals in 82 regular season games.
LVSportsBiz.com asked Karlsson after the game why all the scoring in the postseason.
“That’s a good question. I’ve been feeling good,” Karlsson said. “The puck has been bouncing my way.”
Midway through the period, VGK fourth liner Keegan Kolesar charged the net from the left side and Dallas defenders slammed Koleser into Oettinger. Teddy Blueger took the puck and flipped it into the net and VGK had a 3-2 lead.
LVSportsBiz.com photographer Tyge O’Donnell captured Kolesar crashing the net and Blueger celebrating.
Dallas countered with a goal by Jamie Benn only seconds after Oettinger skated off the ice for an extra skater. Off a pileup in front of the VGK net, Benn stuffed the puck past Hill and the score was tied at three with 1:59 left in regulation play.
And off to overtime Game 1 went.
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Pete DeBoer thought he earned the job to continue coaching the Vegas Golden Knights after the VGK failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in its franchise history.
VGK General Manager Kelly McCrimmon disagreed, firing DeBoer.
But now DeBoer is back in Vegas tonight — as the coach of the Dallas Stars and squaring off against his former club from only a year ago.
And the stakes could not be higher — a Best-of-7 conference final series showdown that offers a winner a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.
What’s interesting is that getting fired and hired — even at the highest executive levels of the business world — is not uncommon. It includes highly competitive scenarios like tonight when DeBoer returns to T-Mobile Arena with so much at stake.
LVSportsBiz.com asked DeBoer about the topic before Game 1 and DeBoer was strictly professional, saying there’s no “sinister” subplot where he’s looking for “revenge.”
DeBoer said his goal is to win the Stanley Cup and did not mention the Vegas Golden Knights.
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The narrative of this series is that it brings together two very evenly-matched teams, with many expecting low-scoring games in a series that could easily go the maximum seven games.
LVSportsBiz.com asked VGK coach Bruce Cassidy about will be the difference between a win and a loss in games played by two close clubs.
Cassidy listed special teams, puck management, a balance of four lines and discipline.
After Cassidy met the media, VGK players Alex Pietrangelo and William Karlsson walked in the interview room.
Pietrangelo said there are no secrets about a team’s play at this point of the season and that studying film on the Stars’ tendencies in Dallas’ previous series wins against Minnesota and Seattle is more important than looking at the Stars’ three wins over Vegas in three games during the regular season.
Meanwhile, new papa Karlsson said he’s sleeping in a separate room in his house and getting rest for the WCF.
