VGK High Drama: Overturned Late-Game Minnesota Goal Leads To Vegas 3-2 OT Win Over Wild In Game 5; Big Crowd Announced At 18,441; Minnesota Puts Fleury In Goal For Third Period

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               Story by Alan Snel             Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — In the end, the Vegas Golden Knights found a way to squeeze out a 3-2 OT win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena and will travel to Minnesota Thursday in hopes of securing a first round series win.

It was Brett Howden who beat a very familiar face — former Vegas goalie and Original Misfit Marc-Andre Fleury — with the game-winner in overtime. The Knights lead the Best-of-7 round three games to two. Fleury is retiring after this season, so this may have been the last time we saw the future NHL Hall-of-Famer in a game in Las Vegas.

“We know how to win,” Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said at his postgame presser. “We understand there’s highs and lows . . . There are a lot of champions in there (in the VGK locker room.)”

The Minnesota Wild thought they had a win with only 1:15 left in the third period when Wild center Ryan Hartman scored what he thought was the tie-breaking goal.

But a review showed Minnesota was offside on the play and the game remained tied at two apiece, moving into overtime.

“Sometimes it goes well for you. Sometimes it doesn’t,” Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes said at his presser. On game six in Minnesota Thursday, Hynes said, “Obviously, that’s what the focus is.”

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This Golden Knights team came out during the first period tonight looking like the 110-point. 50-win squad that won its division.

But the game pivoted in the third period when the Wild scored when Minnesota scoring star Matt Boldy sped around Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, powered his way to get in front of VGK goalie Adin Hill and scored the tying goal in the final stanza to tie the game in front of a big announced crowd of 18,441 Tuesday night.

Meanwhile to start the third period, Fleury had replaced Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson for the start of the third period as Gustavsson left because of an illness, according to Minnesota Wild PR.

And with 1:15 left in the third, Hartman scored what appeared to be the go-ahead goal.

But a review showed there was an offside on the play and the goal was scrubbed.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said the team reviews video from the start of the entry of the puck past the blue line. VGK detected the offside and the challenge was made.

Vegas had dodged the 3-2 deficit and the game moved into overtime. Vegas came out storming with 16 shots on goal in period one, but managed only 12 during the 40 minutes for 28 after three periods.

LVSportsBiz.com asked Cassidy after the game why it’s so difficult to close out games in the third period and, in the case of today’s game, sustain the good play of the first period during the next 40 minutes.

“The push (back by the opponent) is more severe,” Cassidy pointed out. “This time of year it’s whatever it takes. . . . It’s harder than the regular season.”

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The VGK played with more pace and force and led, 2-1, in the first period on a short-handed goal by William Karlsson and 5-0n-5 goal by captain Mark Stone.

Those two goals sandwiched a power play goal by Minnesota’s talented Kirill Kaprizov, who scored off a nice pass a mere 13 seconds after Karlsson’s shorty.

It was go time for VGK after winning, 4-3, in OT in Minnesota on Saturday. The Knights had an extra day off and that extra time seemed to help Vegas.

Coach Bruce Cassidy tinkered with his top line, adding Karlsson to play with Eichel and moving Pavel Dorofeyev to the first line. Stone was dropped to the second line to play with Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad while Ivan Barbashev, who scored Saturday’s game-winning OT goal, was moved to the third line to play with Nic Roy ad Reilly Smith.

The Knights applied the pressure throughout the period, peppering Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson with 16 shots on goal.

There was no scoring in the second period.

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 Two hours before the Vegas Golden Knights were about to host the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, StubHub has a $47 ticket for Hyde Lounge — plus fees/charges.

That’s not a bad price to get into the building to watch two teams go at it in a highly-contested Best-of-7 first round series, which is locked at two games apiece after the Knights beat the Wild in OT on Saturday.

Also on the ticket resale market, Ticketmaster was offering a Flight Deck ticket for $69. That’ a standing room area at T-Mobile Arena.

The number of fixed seats for Golden Knights games is 17,367, but there are several standing room areas like the Flight Deck and Hyde Lounge and along counters behind the top row of the arena’s upper bowl.