The Vegas Golden Knights claimed Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3-1 Monday night, but their game-winning goal in Monday’s series opener didn’t come without its share of controversy.

The goal in question — a Pavel Dorofeyev dish to Ivan Barbashev net-front to give Vegas a 2-1 lead late in the third — probably should never have happened, considering the play that launched it looked a lot like icing. 

But it wasn’t called that way. Despite the fact that Barbashev hadn’t yet reached centre ice when he flipped the puck deep into Anaheim’s zone, officials deemed it no icing and allowed the play to continue.

An in-game explanation from ESPN’s rule analyst Dave Jackson pointed out that because it appeared Vegas forward Jack Eichel had a slight edge on Ducks defender Jackson LaCombe in the footrace to retrieve the puck, with LaCombe slowing, it was ruled not to be icing.

Watch it again, and it’s hard to see how LaCombe didn’t have the edge there. On a call as subjective as this, the defender likely should’ve gotten the benefit of the doubt. 

Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville was absolutely incensed on the bench, and, well, he had a point. It was an extremely consequential call, given how tight this game was (it was tied 1-1 at the time, and getting dangerously close to overtime). Vegas went on to secure the win with an insurance empty-netter by Mitch Marner to take a 1-0 series lead and leave a bad taste in Anaheim’s mouth. 

“Clearly, I disagreed with the call. And it was clearly icing,” Quenneville said, adding that the officials didn’t give him an explanation. “Their guy stopped skating, which really made me annoyed.

“We just scored, it was a huge call and it was an easy call.”

Big-Game Brett stays true to his nickname

Vegas Golden Knights forward Brett Howden is having himself a post-season. After a quiet start to the playoffs, the 28-year-old has gone on a scoring spree of late. He scored two short-handed goals against Utah in Round 1, including a double-OT winner, and now has at least one goal in four straight games thanks to his series-opening marker against the Ducks.

Howden’s chemistry with Marner has been on full display. And as impressive as Howden’s clutch goal-scoring has been, his goal against Anaheim was all Marner.

The centreman’s thread-the-needle pass to Howden was a special play, and a continuation of Marner’s playoff hot streak after scoring the game-winner to close things out against Utah on Friday. 

Ducks’ red-hot power play freezes up vs. Vegas

One of the biggest stories heading into the second-round series between Anaheim and Vegas was the state of the clubs’ special teams and how they stack up. In one corner, we’ve got a Ducks power play that capitalized on 50 per cent of its opportunities against the Oilers in Round 1, registering at least one PP marker in all six games. In the other corner, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill — a unit that not only shut down the Mammoth’s PP, but outscored it short-handed. 

So far, with just one game’s worth of data to examine, the Golden Knights have the edge. In four power-play opportunities, Anaheim didn’t score with the man advantage. (The Ducks also held Vegas scoreless on two opportunities.)

Can Anaheim regain form for Game 2?

Flyers bounce back, but can’t close out vs. Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers learned some hard lessons Saturday night in Carolina. Turns out they’re quick studies — the squad that lost 3-0 in Game 1 got off to a flying start in Monday night’s Game 2 to change the tone of this series.

The Flyers came out doing everything right: hard forechecking, tons of pressure, finding shots. Everything head coach Rick Tocchett preached post-game on Saturday, they applied two days later. They were rewarded for the strong start, scoring twice early in the first frame, but then … the goals dried up. 

Even despite the lack of scoring following the first period, the Flyers were still dictating much of the game. They lost their grip when Seth Jarvis tied things up in the third period, but bounced back yet again in overtime, dominating the offensive play.

But all it takes is one good opportunity, and that’s what Carolina ultimately got as Taylor Hall buried the winner late in extra time to claim the 3-2 victory. 

There are silver linings to be found in Philly’s outing, considering how well the Flyers adjusted their game, but silver linings don’t win you a series. Down 2-0 heading back home, the Flyers are already up against it. 

Hall’s turning back the clock in Carolina

If you want to fall down a fascinating hockey rabbit hole, go give yourself a refresher on Hall’s career. Edmonton’s first-overall pick in 2010 and New Jersey’s Hart Trophy winner in 2018 became something of an NHL journeyman after his Devils tenure ended.

The past few years have been defined by multiple stops and health setbacks, but this year in Carolina has felt different. In 80 games with the Hurricanes, he registered 18 goals and 48 points and looks right at home in Rod Brind’Amour’s system. 

And this spring, he’s really heating up. Through six games of these playoffs, Hall has already hit a new career high in points in a single post-season with nine. (His previous personal best was eight in seven games with the 2022-23 Bruins.) The 34-year-old has registered at least one point in every playoff outing so far this year, with Monday’s overtime game-winner clearly the biggest.

His late-OT tally capped the Hurricanes’ three-goal comeback victory. Playing alongside Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, Hall has been one third of the club’s most electric, productive line — and his surge on the stat sheet has been a great story so far. 

Flyers-Hurricanes is a tough one for power plays

Elite as Carolina’s penalty kill is, the Hurricanes’ power play leaves something to be desired. Philadelphia’s has fared even worse all year, including in the post-season. So, imagine our surprise when both sides scored on their first power-play opportunity of the night.

Flyers defenceman Jamie Drysdale cashed in less than five minutes into Game 2, launching an offensive surge that saw Sean Couturier follow it up with an even-strength marker just 39 seconds later to take an early 2-0 lead.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored his first of the post-season midway through the first frame to get Carolina on the board. 

Considering the flurry of first-period goals and special-teams action, you’d be forgiven for thinking we were in for a barnburner of an offensive showdown à la Sunday’s series opener between Minnesota and Colorado. 

But that’s not how this one played out at all. The Flyers and Hurricanes took turns going on the man advantage, with neither side able to build on the early success as goaltenders took over. The Flyers ended the matchup one-for-seven on the power players, with Carolina finishing one-for-six.