Golden Knights eliminate Ducks 5-1

The Vegas Golden Knights closed out the Anaheim Ducks with a 5-1 win in Game 6 on Thursday, sending Vegas to the Western Conference Final and ending Anaheim’s first playoff run since 2018. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period, and Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore each finished with a goal and an assist, according to NHL.com. Carter Hart stopped 31 shots at Honda Center as Vegas advanced to the third round for the fourth time in seven seasons. The result set up a Western Conference Final between Vegas and the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado had already advanced by beating the Minnesota Wild in five games, and NHL.com said Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will be played Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver. ### How quickly did Vegas take control? (nhl.com) Mitch Marner scored 1:02 into the first period, giving Vegas the lead on its first shot of the game for the second time in the series. Brett Howden then made it 2-0 with a short-handed goal at 8:30, and Theodore added a power-play goal at 17:19 for a 3-0 lead before intermission. (nhl.com) The first-period burst put Anaheim in the same position it had struggled to escape throughout the night. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that his team had again fallen behind early, and defenseman Jackson LaCombe said the opening mistake left Anaheim chasing. ### What did Dorofeyev do in the clincher? (nhl.com) Pavel Dorofeyev scored at 2:52 and 13:32 of the third period to turn a 3-1 game into a 5-1 finish. NHL.com listed Dorofeyev as the game’s first star, and the two goals gave him nine in the postseason. Mikael Granlund scored Anaheim’s only goal on a power play at 12:46 of the second period. Lukas Dostal made 16 saves for the Ducks, who outshot Vegas 32-21 but could not recover after the opening period. (nhl.com) ### Why did the shot totals not change the outcome? Carter Hart made 31 saves and finished with a.969 save percentage in the game, according to NHL.com’s gamecenter. (nhl.com) Anaheim generated 15 shots in the third period alone, but Vegas added two more goals in that stretch and never let the Ducks get closer than two. The Ducks’ pressure came after Vegas had already built its cushion. (nhl.com) Mikael Granlund said the game felt like a version of Anaheim’s season, with the team able to come back in the regular season but finding that harder in the playoffs. ### What does this say about Vegas entering the next round? Mitch Marner entered the conference final as the NHL playoff scoring leader with 18 points, while Dorofeyev led the postseason with nine goals, NHL.com said. (nhl.com) Jack Eichel had 15 points through 12 games, giving Vegas multiple top-end scorers heading into the matchup with Colorado. (nhl.com) Colorado, meanwhile, finished as the top seed in the Central Division and Western Conference and will have home-ice advantage in the series. NHL.com said the Avalanche went 2-0-1 against Vegas in the regular season, with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas among their leading playoff scorers. ### When and where is the next game? (nhl.com) Game 1 of the Western Conference Final is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver, according to NHL.com. The series will match a Vegas team coming off a six-game win over Anaheim against a Colorado club that eliminated Minnesota in five. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)