The Golden Knights pinch out the Canucks

Karlsson's wrister keeps the Vegas torch alive

Same step, new night

The Vegas Golden Knights had stood on this step before. Last season their flame went dark in the quarterfinals, snuffed by the Seattle Kraken, the same club that had sent the Vancouver Canucks home a round earlier. This time it was Vegas against Vancouver at T-Mobile Arena, and the loser's flame went out. Only four would still be burning when it was over.

Both arrived hot. The Canucks, sixth in the league last season, had already doused the Blackhawks and the Ducks. The Golden Knights had blown out the Kings and the Flames.

A defenseman breaks through

Vancouver struck first. Teddy Blueger buried a wrist shot at 8:15 of the first, set up by Kiefer Sherwood and Danton Heinen. Then the scoring stopped for 29:20. At 17:35 of the second, Alex Pietrangelo, a defenseman, finally broke the silence with a slap shot, fed by Shea Theodore and Mark Stone.

Karlsson tips the shelf

Just 6:09 later, at 3:44 of the third, William Karlsson ripped a wrist shot off a Brett Howden feed to give Vegas the lead. Pavel Dorofeyev's high stick at 4:34 handed Vancouver a power play, and Adin Hill held firm on his way to 19 saves on 20 shots. With the Canucks' net empty, Howden flipped a backhand in at 19:10, and Vancouver's candle went cold.