Vegas Golden Knights Defeat Jets In Game Five And Advance To The Stanley Cup Finals

Winnipeg, Manitoba native Ryan Reaves scores game-winning goal to propel Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals.

With a chance to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Vegas Golden Knights knew they had to match the Winnipeg Jets desperation in game five. The Jets had their backs against the wall against the Nashville Predators in game seven on the road, and they came out and played their best game. So if the Golden Knights want to end this series as quick as possible, they need to weather the storm in the first ten minutes.

Vegas knows that Winnipeg is going to have a strong start on home ice in game five. But the important thing is to get out to an early lead and quiet the building down. If they could perform those tasks, the Golden Knights would have a great shot to end this series this afternoon.

Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant is rolling with the same lineup as he did in game four. Meanwhile, the Jets made a ton of lineup changes ahead for warmups. Joe Morrow, Dmitry Kulikov, and Joel Armia enter the lineup. Toby Enstrom, Ben Chairot, and Andrew Copp didn’t participate in the warmups and did not play in game five. Marc-Andre Fleury and Connor Hellebuyck both take the nets for their respective clubs.

In the first period, Vegas got off to the start they needed. Dustin Byfuglien got called for a slashing penalty just under three minutes into the game. They didn’t convert on the power play, but the momentum flipped in favor of the Golden Knights.

Hellebuyck played the puck behind the net for defenseman Josh Morrissey and tried to make a quick pass in transition, but he turned the puck over as the pass went off Ryan Carpenter’s skate. Alex Tuch was aware of the opportunity as he made a quick turn around shot in the slot and beat Hellebuyck for his sixth goal of the playoffs.

The Jets found there gear later on in the period as they landed 11 shots in a row on Fleury and one of those found the back of the net. Off of a set play, Bryan Little won the faceoff, and Morrissey stepped into a shot and blasted it past Fleury. His first goal of the playoffs tied the game late in the first period.

If the Golden Knights survived that push in the latter half of the first frame, they would’ve been in complete control of this game. However, with the game tied going into the second period, that’s a win for the visiting team. Shots totals were 13-8 in favor of the Jets.

The middle frame started, and once again, the Golden Knights came out with a little more jump than the Jets. The Golden Knights earned a power play as the officials called Kulikov for a questionable penalty. But the Jets didn’t let that get away from them as they killed the Golden Knights power play off with ease.

The momentum started to shift once again as Tuch took a bad offensive zone penalty. Winnipeg had a few great chances by Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers but no dice on the man advantage. Vegas gave them no shooting lanes to work with on the power play.

A turning point in this game was James Neal rattling a shot off the mask of Hellebuyck thus stopping play. Instead of fixing his helmet, he elected to go with his backup mask to keep the play moving. Now he might be regretting that decision.

The very next shift, Luca Sbisa took a wrist shot from the point, and it deflected off both Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and then off Ryan Reaves and in the net. Reaves’ first Golden Knights goal couldn’t have come at a better time as it was his first goal in 28 games.

Another critical moment in the game was another solid penalty kill by the Golden Knights. Tomas Nosek took a neutral zone tripping penalty, and the Jets went to work with excellent puck movement. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, Vegas was up to the task and limited all shooting options on the man advantage.

The middle frame ended and just like that, with 20 more minutes of smart hockey the Golden Knights will close out the Jets in the Western Conference Finals. Shots were in favor of the Golden Knights in the second period 15-11. But as we all know, with the Jets back up against the wall, they weren’t going to go quietly.

The third period began and just like game’s two through four, the Jets came out ready for a push. Jonathan Marchessault took a slashing penalty that put Vegas behind the eight ball. However, the Golden Knights pulled through a long, exhausting penalty kill as Fleury stood tall.

William Karlsson had a great chance on the feed from Marchessault, but Hellebuyck saved the Jets season with six minutes to go in the third. Time was running out on Winnipeg. It started to look like game six of the San Jose-Vegas series.

The Golden Knights stifled the Sharks and gave San Jose no scoring opportunities. The same presented itself here in game five. Time ticked off the clock, and the Golden Knights embraced Fleury in celebration.

The Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights. It has a beautiful ring to it, don’t you think? The Golden Knights are only four wins away from winning the best trophy in all of sports. The only teams that are standing in their way now are either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals.

Interestingly, Deryk Engelland went out to accept the Clarence Campbell Bowl Trophy from deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Yes, he touched it and skated back to the locker room with it with his teammates., Engelland asked Fleury what he should do, and the Flower said to go and touch it because it worked three straight times for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vegas Hockey Knight’s Three Stars

3rd Star) Marc-Andre Fleury- 31 saves on 32 shots in game five victory.

2nd Star) Alex Tuch- One goal, +1 rating, two PIM and four shots on goal in 13:20 TOI.

1st Star) Ryan Reaves-  Game-winning goal, +1 rating, one shot on goal and two hits in 7:30 TOI.

Next: Vegas Golden Knights Take 3-1 Series Lead Over Jets

All in all, an impressive victory by the Vegas Golden Knights. How can you not love what this team is doing? No matter what happens, the story of the Golden Misfits culminates in the Stanley Cup Finals.