On a night when Sin City provided a glitzy, entertaining, over-the-top show for all the hockey world to see, a member of the supporting cast played the heroB次元官网网址檚 role in a wild final act.
Fourth-line winger Tomas Nosek scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period Monday before adding an empty netter as the expansion Vegas Golden Knights fought back from deficits of 3-2 and 4-3 to defeat the Washington Capitals 6-4 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
The party just off the famed strip where thereB次元官网网址檚 a casino or a street performer at nearly every turn started with a concert by rapper Lil Jon and continued with on-ice player introductions from famed ring announcer Michael Buffer.
But it was a 25-year-old from the Czech Republic that fans at a raucous T-Mobile Arena were celebrating as the Knights inched closer to an improbable championship.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just (the) first win,B次元官网网址� said Nosek, who was plucked from the Detroit Red Wings in the expansion draft not even 12 months ago. B次元官网网址漈hree more and IB次元官网网址檒l be more excited.B次元官网网址�
Three wins away from the craziest Cup victory imaginable.
Reilly Smith, with a goal and an assist, Colin Miller, William Karlsson and Ryan Reaves also scored for the Knights, who got 24 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury. Deryk Engelland chipped in with two assists.
Nicklas Backstrom, with a goal and an assist, Brett Connolly, John Carlson and Tom Wilson replied for the Capitals. T.J. Oshie added two assists, while Braden Holtby made 28 saves.
Game 2 goes Wednesday in Vegas before the best-of-seven series switches to Washington for Games 3 and 4.
B次元官网网址淲e know we didnB次元官网网址檛 play our best,B次元官网网址� Backstrom said. B次元官网网址漌eB次元官网网址檝e got to come out with a better effort.B次元官网网址�
Related:
Related:
NosekB次元官网网址檚 winner at 9:44 of the final period came after Vegas defenceman Shea Theodore moved down the boards and put his wide-open teammateB次元官网网址檚 second goal of the playoffs on a silver platter at the side of HoltbyB次元官网网址檚 net.
B次元官网网址淚 just told myself to focus on the puck and hit it at the right time,B次元官网网址� Nosek said. B次元官网网址滻 expected (the pass) the whole time.B次元官网网址�
The Capitals pressed late with Holtby on the bench, but Lars Eller flubbed a golden opportunity on the doorstep with Fleury at his mercy before Nosek sealed it with three seconds left.
B次元官网网址淭here were some swings, some momentum (shifts) on both sides,B次元官网网址� said Fleury, who came in with a .947 save percentage in the playoffs. B次元官网网址漀obody panicked and it paid off.B次元官网网址�
Washington went up 4-3 just 70 seconds into the third when Fleury accidentally kicked WilsonB次元官网网址檚 deflection into his own net for the big wingerB次元官网网址檚 fourth.
But Vegas came right back 1:31 later when Reaves, a fourth liner who scored the series clincher in the Western Conference final against the Winnipeg Jets, banged home his second.
B次元官网网址淩eal happy for them,B次元官网网址� Fleury said of Reaves and Nosek. B次元官网网址漈heyB次元官网网址檙e guys that work hard every game, every practice.B次元官网网址�
Carlson hit his second post of the night a few minutes later on Fleury before Smith came right back and found iron at the other end.
Wilson then delivered a blindside hit on Jonathan Marchessault with the puck nowhere near the Vegas centre, but was only assessed two-minute penalty for interference, while David Perron went off for cross checking in the ensuing scuffle.
THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD IN THE
B次元官网网址� Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights)
STANLEY
CUP
FINAL
Suspended three games earlier in the playoffs for a dangerous hit, Wilson thought the contact was clean.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檇 probably say he shouldnB次元官网网址檛 have admired his pass and IB次元官网网址檓 just finishing my check,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址滻 havenB次元官网网址檛 slowed it down (on video).B次元官网网址�
The Knights, not surprisingly, felt differently.
B次元官网网址淚 never saw it coming,B次元官网网址� Marchessault said. B次元官网网址滺e hits me on the blindside. ItB次元官网网址檚 a little late.
B次元官网网址淭he leagueB次元官网网址檚 going to take care of it.B次元官网网址�
Added the bruising Reaves: B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just Wilson doing what Wilson does.B次元官网网址�
Tied 2-2 after a back-and-forth first, Smith swatted home his third at 3:21 of the second after Marchessault grazed the crossbar moments earlier, but the Capitals responded with CarlsonB次元官网网址檚 fourth at 8:29 on a night where neither team was satisfied with its defensive effort.
B次元官网网址淔or our group, itB次元官网网址檚 not good enough,B次元官网网址� Marchessault said. B次元官网网址漌e gave them too many chances. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the way it went B次元官网网址� at the end of the day itB次元官网网址檚 the win thatB次元官网网址檚 most important.B次元官网网址�
The electric atmosphere around T-Mobile Arena started two hours prior to the late-afternoon start time, with Lil Jon revving up the crowd in a packed plaza outside the rink before a pre-game spectacle on the ice with actors portraying a knight and his archers defeating an invading army B次元官网网址� in this case, the Capitals.
Buffer then provided his patented B次元官网网址滾etB次元官网网址檚 Get Ready To Rumble!B次元官网网址� call prior to introducing the starting lineups, but struggled with some of the names.
A drum line with flashing lights pumped up the crowd during breaks, while Canadian-born professional fan Cameron Hughes danced and hurled t-shirts into the stands.
Vegas honoured military veterans in the first intermission, marking Memorial Day with a rendition of B次元官网网址淕od Bless AmericaB次元官网网址� sung by seven-time Grammy Award-winner Gladys Knight, which was followed by an abbreviated Cirque de Soleil performance during a TV timeout in the second.
B次元官网网址淥h, man. It was crazy,B次元官网网址� Reaves said of the atmosphere. B次元官网网址滶ven going out for warmups, usually you take a look at all the pucks so you donB次元官网网址檛 fall on them, but I looked up and everybody was in the building already.
B次元官网网址淚 kinda got some chills.B次元官网网址�
The Knights opened the scoring at 7:15 of the first when Miller buried his first with a power-play blast that beat a screened Holtby, but the Capitals equalized at 14:41 when Connolly tipped his fifth between his own legs.
Washington went ahead just 42 seconds later when Backstrom, who suffered a hand injury in the second round that forced him to miss four games, scored his fifth.
But Karlsson jammed in his seventh shortside with 1:41 left in the period to send the teams to the locker rooms tied 2-2 following a frenetic opening 20 minutes.
Monday marked the first game for the Capitals in the final since their only other appearance in 1998 when they were swept in four straight by Detroit.
Washington had failed to get beyond the second round of the playoffs in the 20 years since, including Alex OvechkinB次元官网网址檚 entire career, before beating the Pittsburgh Penguins this spring to qualify for the Eastern Conference final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Golden Knights, who brushed aside the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and the Jets to advance to the Cup final in a stunning first season, played just their 98th game in franchise history.
B次元官网网址淟ot of up and down. A lot of lead changes,B次元官网网址� Knights defenceman Nate Schmidt said of Monday night. B次元官网网址滱 lot of times you feel like the game is going in one direction and then they score and we score.
B次元官网网址淭he fans got their moneyB次元官网网址檚 worth tonight.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址�-
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
