Ivan Barbashev scored a controversial go-ahead goal with 4:58 remaining in the third period, leading the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their Western Conference second-round playoff series on Monday in Las Vegas.
Barbashev’s goal came after the Golden Knights regained possession in the right corner when Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who was screening Jack Eichel, and the rest of the Ducks let up while anticipating an icing call. Barbashev had fired the puck into the zone from behind the red line.
However, icing was waived off at the last second and Pavel Dorofeyev crossed a pass to Barbashev, who roofed a shot from the left side of the crease for the game-winner.
“Clearly I disagreed with the call,” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was clearly icing, but their guy (Jack Eichel) stopped, which really made me annoyed.”
“I didn’t see it,” Golden Knights coach John Totorella said. “I was blocked. I didn’t see it, so I don’t know what to tell you.”
Carter Hart stopped 33 of 34 shots, Mitch Marner scored an empty-net goal and had an assist, and Brett Howden also tallied for Vegas, which improved to 28-8-3 all-time against Anaheim, including 16-3-1 at home.
Mikael Granlund scored a goal and Lukas Dostal finished with 19 saves for Anaheim.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Shortly after Anaheim’s Troy Terry rang a wrist shot from the right circle off the right post, Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 3:14 mark of the second period. Howden, who scored only 12 goals in 58 regular-season games, produced his fifth in seven playoff games when he redirected Marner’s cross-ice pass through traffic inside the left post.
Anaheim had an excellent chance to tie it midway through the period when Leo Carlsson made a highlight-reel spinning pass to LaCombe alone at the edge of the right circle. However, LaCombe, the team’s leading scorer in the Ducks’ first-round win over Edmonton with nine points, passed up a shot at a wide-open net to pass to Terry in front of the blue paint. The puck slid past Terry’s stick.
“We had a great chance with (LaCombe),” Quenneville said. “I didn’t have to say anything to him. I think we all knew we’d like to have that one back.”
The Ducks tied it 1-1 with 6:03 to go in the third period. LaCombe drove down the left wing and crossed a pass to Granlund, who ripped in a wrist shot for his third goal of the playoffs.
Vegas regained the lead just 65 seconds later on Barbashev’s goal as Quenneville and the Ducks bench angrily protested the non-icing call.
“No. I did not,” Quenneville said when asked if he got any explanation from officials. “I was just upset at the call at the time, but that was the play for me. We had just scored. It was a huge call, and an easy call.”
The Ducks pulled Dostal for an extra attacker with 1:55 to go, and Marner sealed the win with a length-of-the-ice empty-netter with six seconds remaining.
–Field Level Media
