William Carrier, Mark Stone and Nate Schmidt each scored goals over a five-minute span to highlight a four-goal third period as the Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars in a Western Conference round-robin opener in Edmonton on Monday.
Carrier's first career playoff goal, with 5:03 remaining, was initially waived off for goalie interference but was overturned following a Vegas challenge. It proved to be the game-winner. William Karlsson, who along with Schmidt and Stone each added an assist, sealed the win on an empty-netter with 21 seconds to go.
Chandler Stephenson also scored a goal and Robin Lehner stopped 24 shots for Pacific Division champion Vegas, which outshot the Stars 16-6 in the final period.
Joe Pavelski, Jamie Oleksiak and Corey Perry each scored goals and Miro Heiskanen had three assists to lead Dallas. Ben Bishop finished with 28 saves for the Stars. It was the first three-assist game of Heiskanen's career.
The Golden Knights are tied with the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference seeding round robin, each team at 1-0-0 for two points. The St. Louis Blues and the Stars are each 0-1-0 for no points.
Vegas, which had won 11 of its last 13 games before the pandemic pause, scored on its first shot of the game to take a 1-0 lead 64 seconds into the contest. Stephenson took a pass from Karlsson at the top of the slot, and using Stars defenseman John Klingberg as a screen, snapped a shot through Bishop's pads.
Dallas then scored three goals in the span of 4:52 midway through the second period. Pavelski got the first when his centering pass from the right wing caromed off the skate of defenseman Alec Martinez past Lehner for his 49th career playoff goal.
Oleksiak gave the Stars a 2-1 lead 42 seconds later when he fired a wrist shot from the high slot past a screened Lehner that pinged in off the crossbar.
Perry, stationed in front of the net, then made it 3-1 when he deflected Heiskanen's shot from the left point past Lehner's glove side.
Vegas tied it with two goals in the span of 89 seconds midway through the third period. Stone got the first when he beat Bishop with a wrist shot from the right circle. Schmidt then finished an odd-man rush with a snap shot from the high slot off a feed from Reilly Smith, setting the stage for Carrier's game-winner.
--Field Level Media
Dallas | Vegas | |
Miro Heiskanen 3 | Points | William Karlsson 2 |
Jamie Oleksiak 1 | Goals | William Karlsson 1 |
Miro Heiskanen 3 | Assists | William Karlsson 1 |
Corey Perry 1 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Ben Bishop .875 | Save Percentage | Robin Lehner .889 |
Ben Bishop 28 | Saves | Robin Lehner 24 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Dallas | 27 | 3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 28 |
Vegas | 33 | 5 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 25 |