Vegas Golden Knights beat Colorado Avalanche to clinch playoff berth
Jack Eichel scored an overtime winner as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in Denver on Saturday to secure their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The victory moves the Nevada-based franchise to the top of the Pacific Division, leapfrogging the Edmonton Oilers with 91 points.
It marks their fifth win in six games since head coach John Tortorella was appointed to replace Bruce Cassidy.
Goaltender heroics and a coaching casualty
Vegas goaltender Carter Hart played a pivotal role in the triumph, stopping a Devon Toews effort before Eichel collected the crucial rebound.
The American centre sprinted down the left boards and fired past Mackenzie Blackwood after just 79 seconds of the extra period.
However, the game was marred by a bizarre and concerning incident involving Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar early in the third period.
Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar accidentally lifted the puck into the Colorado bench, striking Bednar in the side of the head.
Avalanche already guaranteed top seed
The Colorado manager was helped to the locker room by medical staff and later taken to a local hospital for a CT scan.
The hosts were also forced to finish the contest without defenceman Josh Manson, who sustained an upper-body injury.
Despite the defeat, the Denver outfit had already secured the Presidents’ Trophy and top overall NHL seed following Thursday’s victory over Calgary.
The home side initially took the lead through a Toews power-play strike, but Mark Stone responded on a man-advantage to level the tie.
Pavel Dorofeyev and Nick Blankenburg then traded second-period goals to set up the dramatic overtime finale.
