Barbashev’s Late Goal Lifts Golden Knights Over Ducks in Game 1

LAS VEGAS, NV — The Vegas Golden Knights secured a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night to open their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Despite being outshot 34-22, the Golden Knights utilized timely scoring and elite goaltending to claim their 67th franchise playoff win, setting a new NHL record for the most postseason victories since their inaugural 2017-18 season.

Late-Game Drama

The game remained deadlocked until late in the third period.

The Go-Ahead Goal: Ivan Barbashev scored the decisive goal with just 4:58 remaining in the final frame.
Disputed Play: The goal followed a disputed non-call by officials after a waived-off icing play. While Ducks players appeared to slow down expecting a whistle, Barbashev continued skating and capitalized on a precise backhand pass from Pavel Dorofeyev.

Key Contributors

Brett Howden: Opened the scoring at 3:14 of the second period, extending his playoff goal streak to a career-best four games.
Mitch Marner: Recorded two points, including a pinpoint assist on Howden’s opener and a 162-foot empty-net goal with six seconds remaining to seal the win.
Carter Hart: Anchored the defense by turning aside 33 of 34 shots, finishing with a .971 save percentage.

Series Outlook

The Golden Knights’ penalty kill remained perfect, extending its streak to 14 consecutive successful kills. The best-of-seven series continues with Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday night.

Source: [NHL.com], [Google Sports Data].