Vegas Golden Knights: Sights and sounds from Game 5 as Knights advance
It was a Gentleman’s Sweep for the Vegas Golden Knights who became the first team to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After dropping Game 4 and the chance to sweep in Game 4, the Vegas Golden Knights bounced back on Tuesday to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 and take the series 4-1.
It was a dominant effort by the Golden Knights who took care of business, and they will now play in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in three years.
Robin Lehner got his fourth start of the series and stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced from a Blackhawks team fighting for their lives.
More from Vegas Hockey Knight
- The moment the Vegas Golden Knights have been waiting for
- 3 Golden Knights players deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy
- If Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, who should Mark Stone pass it to first?
- Why are Vegas Golden Knights fans obsessed with flamingos?
- Just one more game for Golden Knight supremacy
And, as expected, Chicago came out swinging and got on the board twice thanks to Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat.
Max Pacioretty scored a big goal at the end of the first period, however, and it was a tied game less than a minute in to the middle frame after Mark Stone one-timed home a feed from William Karlsson.
Patrick Kane did make it a one-goal game in Chicago’s favor early in the second, but Alec Martinez converted on the power play and then Alex Tuch scored the game-winner at the start of the final period.
Let’s take you through the sights and sounds of the series-clinching Game 5…
Slow Start
The Chicago Blackhawks, facing another win-or-go-home scenario, came out fighting and they put the pressure on the Golden Knights early.
Jonathan Toews recorded his 5th goal of the postseason at 10:32 in the first period after jamming home a loose puck on the doorstep.
Alex DeBrincat then got on the board at 18:19, finishing a feed from Dylan Strome following a beautiful move by Connor Murphy.
Welcome To The Playoffs
Max Pacioretty has arrived.
It has been a frustrating start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the veteran, who missed all of the round-robin games before missing Game 2 of this series.
He also hadn’t recorded a point in the series heading into Game 5, but that changed at 19:29 in the first period.
unleashed a shot from the point which hit traffic and the loose puck fell to Pacioretty, who ripped the puck into the net to make it a one-goal game.
It was an important moment for Pacioretty and also an important moment for Vegas in terms of changing the tide of the game.
Stone Cold
Mark Stone is built for the big moments.
He just is.
And the star delivered in the biggest moment with just 57 seconds played in the second period of Game 5.
With the Golden Knights a goal down, the top line of Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson and Stone went to work.
After playing a game of tic-tac-toe, Karlsson unleashed a shot at Corey Crawford before picking up his own rebound and sending a dish across to Stone who one-timed the puck home.
A beautiful goal at a huge moment.
Experience Counts
After Patrick Kane had given Chicago the lead again by slipping the puck through the pads of Robin Lehner, the Golden Knights struck back in a big way.
It started with Alec Martinez, someone who knows a thing or two about scoring big goals after scoring the goal that clinched the Stanley Cup for the LA Kings in 2014.
And Martinez tied things up at 7:28 in the second period, beating Corey Crawford with a deadly snipe on the power play.
Experience is key in the postseason and Martinez certainly brings that in abundance.
Tuch Magic
Alex Tuch has been massive for the Golden Knights during the postseason so far, and he saved his best moment for Game 5.
Early in the final period with the game tied, Tuch crashed the net and had the awareness to grab his own rebound by jamming the puck past Corey Crawford.
Tuch’s 4th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs proved to be the game-winner and the forward is turning out to be a real X-Factor for the Golden Knights inside The Bubble.
Big Winner
Max Pacioretty: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 2 SOG, +2, 16:33 TOI
This was a big game for Max Pacioretty.
After getting off to a slow start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, not helped by injury, Pacioretty went off in Game 5.
He got the Golden Knights on the board at the end of the first period with his first goal of the series, before getting a secondary helper on Mark Stone’s game-tying goal in the second.
Big Loser
Corey Crawford: 35 Saves, .897 SV%
Following his heroic efforts in Game 4, Corey Crawford again came up big for the Blackhawks in Game 5 with 35 saves.
However, it wasn’t enough to stifle the Vegas offense or inspire his own offense to come alive and force a Game 6.
Next. Golden Knights first to advance. dark
Crawford was really good in the postseason but he could now be running out of time to add another championship after an early exit.