Goalies were the king of the NHL this time. Vegas forces seventh game, Vancouver knocks out Nashville

Two more games of the opening playoff series were played last night, and in both cases goaltending played a significant role. Defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas forced a decisive seventh game. Vancouver decided the series with Nashville after six games.

Vegas decided the game in the third period

The Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars (2: 0) turned into a goaltending battle. The Vegas team this time bet on the number two goalie Adin Hill and during the game it turned out to be a masterstroke. It was Stars goaltending stalwart Jake Oettinger who defended the net.

The two goaltenders did not allow a single shot during the opening two periods and made 18 saves apiece. The duel turned into a fierce battle, with neither team wanting to create unnecessary mistakes.

However, Oettinger’s impenetrability was ended in the 50th minute by Noah Hanifin, the home team’s defensive mainstay. He already has 5 points in 6 games in this year’s playoffs.

Dallas tried hard, but couldn’t find a recipe against the focused play of Vegas. On the contrary, they produced only 5 shot attempts on goal in the last period.

Captain Mark Stone sealed the victory of the home team, who managed to get his health back to normal at the end of this series. Vegas finally broke the losing streak on home ice and evened the series at 3-3. Now the teams will face a decisive seventh game.

Vancouver ends the series on Predators ice

The Nashville Predators vs. Vancouver Canucks (0:1) was also a goaltending game. The home Predators deployed their goaltending ace Juuse Saros, while the visiting team relied on Arturs Silovs this time.

The consistent defense excelled in this goal-poor game, supported by the performance of both goalies. The home team, aware that it must not falter in this series, could not find a way to overcome the excellent catching of Silovs. He caught all 28 Predators’ shot attempts in the game, giving him his first clean sheet in the playoffs.

Even more of a shock for the home team was a goal out of the blue at 58:21 from Pius Suter, who beat a previously flawless Saros. The scalded Predators couldn’t even the score and Vancouver took the series 4-2 to advance to the next stage of the playoffs after a slim victory.

Arturs Silovs put on a great show. He has a great average in the three games he’s played in so far this playoffs, and it’s certainly a nice worry for the Canucks coach to see what goalie he’ll put in the series against a very offensive unit from Edmonton.

Source: NHL