Golden Knights eliminate Ducks in Game 6, advance to conference semifinals

The Vegas Golden Knights closed out the Anaheim Ducks with a 5-1 win in Game 6 on Thursday night at Honda Center, sending Vegas to the Western Conference final for the fifth time in the franchise's nine seasons. Mitch Marner scored 1:02 into the game, Brett Howden added a short-handed goal, and Shea Theodore scored on the power play as Vegas built a 3-0 first-period lead. (nhl.com) Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period, and Carter Hart made 31 saves for the Golden Knights. Anaheim's season ended in its first playoff appearance since 2018. ### How fast did Vegas take control? Mitch Marner gave Vegas the lead 62 seconds after the opening faceoff, finishing a rush after a stretch pass from William Karlsson. (nhl.com) NHL.com said Marner slowed near the crease, let defenseman Jackson LaCombe skate past him and then pulled the puck through his legs before sliding it over the goal line. Brett Howden made it 2-0 at 8:30 of the first period with a short-handed goal on Anaheim's first power play. Shea Theodore then pushed the lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal in the opening period, giving Vegas all the margin it would need. (nhl.com) ### Which players drove the clincher? Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period to finish off the Ducks, while Marner and Theodore each had a goal and an assist. Marner was involved in all three Vegas goals in the first period, and NHL.com said he leads the playoffs with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists. (nhl.com) Carter Hart stopped 31 shots for Vegas, while Lukas Dostal made 16 saves for Anaheim. Mikael Granlund scored the Ducks' lone goal on the power play. ### What did Vegas say after closing out the series? (nhl.com) Mitch Marner said the Golden Knights had reached another goal but were already looking ahead. "We worked extremely hard for all these little goals we set throughout the year," he told NHL.com. "We've got to take these couple days, whatever we have, try to refuel and refresh and be ready to go." Shea Theodore said Vegas set the tone early on the road. "You go into it and you want to score first, especially being on the road," Theodore told the Associated Press. "I thought we responded well. (nhl.com) We played great the first 15 minutes, and that's what we had to do." ### Why did Anaheim's comeback bid never really start? Mikael Granlund said the Ducks had spent the season recovering from early deficits, but the playoffs left less room for that. "I kind of feel like tonight was the story of the season," Granlund told NHL.com. "In the regular season, we were able to come back, but in the playoffs, it's not easy." (nhl.com) Joel Quenneville, the Ducks' coach, said Anaheim put itself in trouble by conceding quickly. "Tonight was kind of what happened too many times this year where we give up a couple quick ones early," he told NHL.com. "It's a tough comeback against a team that knows how to play hockey." (usnews.com) ### What comes next for Vegas? The NHL's schedule has Vegas facing the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final, with Game 1 set for Wednesday, May 20, at Ball Arena in Denver. NHL.com listed the start time as 8 p.m. ET, and the Avalanche's published series schedule shows Games 1 and 2 in Colorado before the series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 on May 24. (nhl.com) Game 4 is scheduled for May 26 in Las Vegas, with Games 5 through 7 set for May 28, May 30 and June 1 if necessary. ESPN and ABC are listed among the broadcasters for the series. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)