Dorofeyev OT – Pavel Dorofeyev scored at 4:10 in overtime as Vegas beat Anaheim 3-2, taking a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Thursday in Anaheim.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s second goal of the night settled it in overtime, and the Golden Knights moved within one win of the Western Conference final with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Vegas broke through at 4:10 of extra time, turning a tense, mistake-free game into a late series advantage. With the win, the Golden Knights now hold a 3-2 lead in the second-round series and are just one step away from advancing once again.
Game 6 is set for Thursday night in Anaheim, where the Ducks will be looking to avoid falling behind 3-3 and forcing the series into a decisive Game 7 in Las Vegas on Saturday. For Vegas, it’s the clearest path back to the conference final since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2023.
The scoring also highlighted a pair of momentum swings.. Tomas Hertl. who had gone 29 games dating back to the regular season without finding the net. has now already put the puck in the goal twice in as many games.. He also played a central role in the offensive build-up. collecting the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period.
Jack Eichel continued his impact, contributing two assists, including the primary assist on the overtime winner. Carter Hart made 34 saves for Anaheim, but the workload still couldn’t keep the Ducks from conceding twice to Vegas in the later stages of the game.
Anaheim’s response showed that their season run is far from over.. Olen Zellweger scored his first career playoff goal from the left circle to tie the game at 2 with 3:05 left in regulation.. Beckett Sennecke extended his goal streak to four games with a power-play finish. and Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier each added two assists.
Lukas Dostal finished with 29 saves for the Ducks. Still, the final sequence underscored how small margins can decide a series: once Vegas found its scoring lane late, Anaheim’s game plan was forced to shift immediately.
The tone of the game turned physical in the first period when Ryan Poehling had to be helped off the ice after being checked hard into the boards by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb nearly midway through the period.. McNabb was assessed a five-minute major for interference and sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct.. The result was costly for Vegas. as it disrupted the lineup and left them with the absence of a first-pair blue liner.
Vegas and Anaheim traded power-play outcomes in different moments.. The Ducks struck first on the power play when Sennecke scored off a rebound. establishing a late-season payoff for their special teams execution.. Dorofeyev then answered after taking the puck from Chris Kreider. cutting to the slot and firing a shot past Dostal to restore Vegas’ lead.
In the third period, Hertl’s rebound goal at 4:48 nearly held up as the decisive score. Extended offensive-zone time helped tilt the next exchange, and Zellweger eventually capitalized, forcing extra time by taking advantage of the shift in momentum near the end of regulation.
That overtime goal carried even more weight because it was Dorofeyev’s second of the game. Coming at 4:10 in extra time, his finish capped a night where Vegas’ star-level execution showed up at the exact moments the Ducks were still trying to catch their breath.
For Anaheim. the night ended with the sting of a late loss. but there was also a clear message in their ability to level the score and keep pushing.. Their first playoff appearance in eight years means every game offers a different learning curve. and forcing the series to a 3-2 position suggests they’re not prepared to back away from the fight.
Meanwhile. Vegas’ late-game control. combined with key contributions from Hertl and Eichel alongside Dorofeyev’s decisive scoring. puts the pressure squarely on the Ducks for Game 6 in Anaheim.. With the conference final within reach for Vegas. the next match becomes a referendum on who can sustain the sharper execution—especially when penalties. power plays. and momentum swings start to shape every possession.
Golden Knights Anaheim Ducks Pavel Dorofeyev overtime goal Stanley Cup playoffs Tomas Hertl Jack Eichel