ST PAUL, Minnesota — Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the series late in the second period to give Vegas the lead, and Adin Hill made 29 saves to propel the Golden Knights to the second round with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 on Thursday.
Shea Theodore scored first, and Mark Stone scored last for Vegas, which will play the winner of the Edmonton-Los Angeles series. The Oilers led the Kings 3-2 entering Game 6 on their home ice later Thursday.
Minnesota has lost nine consecutive NHL playoff series and hasn’t advanced beyond the first round in ten years.
Ryan Hartman scored twice for the Wild, including a wraparound with 3:27 left, 31 seconds after Stone gave the Golden Knights a two-goal lead.
Stone, who set up Eichel with a long pass out of the zone that was inches away from Kirill Kaprizov’s stick after he dived to prevent the breakaway, had four points in his last three games. Neither Stone nor Eichel had a single point in the first three games.
Hartman tied the game for the Wild with 4 seconds left in the first period, a goal that was safe from replay review, unlike his game-winning goal in Game 5 with 1:15 remaining in regulation, which was overturned for an offside call after Vegas challenged.
The Wild remained unshaken despite consecutive overtime losses that erased their 2-1 lead, confident that they could still defeat the deeper Golden Knights.
They were quickly playing from behind, however, when Marco Rossi received the dreaded double minor penalty for high-sticking Brayden McNabb with only 2:27 remaining in the game.
Theodore wristed a shot from the high slot, with Stone and Tomas Hertl screening Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, instantly quieting the crowd near the end of the first power play. Gustavsson, who was forced out of Game 5 after two periods due to illness, made 20 saves.