Golden Knights Dominate For Game 7 Win

The first round of the 2021 NHL Playoffs as it stands right now has only had one series go the distance, but it’s been one that’s been entertaining from the very beginning. 

Friday night at T-Mobile Arena we would get an answer to one of these questions, could the Minnesota Wild complete the 3-1 comeback, or could the Vegas Golden Knights avoid their second first round collapse in three seasons? 

The 12,156 fans in attendance didn’t have to wait long for first blood in the deciding game as at 5:09 in the first, Mattias Janmark would beat Cam Talbot to draw first blood in their first Game 7 at home. 

The Wild, a team that all season long showed that they could give Vegas all they could handle punched back once again. Zack Parise would tie this game up with a beautiful between the legs deflection that would beat Marc-André Fleury late in the first at 16:49 in the period.

Nicolas Hague would score just 2:05 into the second to restore the Vegas lead but Minnesota would leave the door open again for Minnesota to get back into this game. 

Ryan Reaves would head to the penalty box after taking an interference penalty and Minnesota’s rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov would beat Fleury for his second goal of the playoffs on the man advantage at the 4:35 mark of the second. 

 With the tide looking like it might shift the way of the Wild, the Golden Knights would get their offensive production started again thanks to a veteran making his return to the lineup in the form of Max Pacioretty. 

Pacioretty, returned to the lineup after missing the past 12 games due to an undisclosed injury but fit right back in as he’d finish off a one-timer on a pass from Chandler Stephenson to make it a 3-2 game at the 7:44 mark of the second. Zack Whitecloud would also tally his first goal of the postseason to give the Golden Knights a two-goal lead going into the intermission. 

Vegas would never look back in the third as Mattias Janmark would score twice more for his first career playoff hat trick to cap off the 6-2 victory but it was also his breakout performance in a Vegas jersey. 

Before the playoffs, in 15 regular season games since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, Janmark only scored once as a Golden Knight. 

The Golden Knights in Game 7 also led when it came to high danger chances with an advantage of 13-8 over the Wild according to Natural Stat Trick. 

Awaiting the Golden Knights in the second round on Sunday evening is the Colorado Avalanche in a series that when it comes to excitement, many hockey fans would love to be a repeat of Vegas and Minnesota.