Zellweger playoff – Olen Zellweger’s first career playoff goal forced overtime, as the Ducks evened Game 5 after Tomas Hertl’s late lead.
A late equalizer turned Game 5 into a sprint to overtime, with Olen Zellweger scoring his first career playoff goal to tie the Anaheim Ducks and send their matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights into extra play Tuesday night.
Zellweger’s strike came from the left circle with 3:05 remaining, erasing Tomas Hertl’s third-period advantage. Hertl had put Vegas in front at 4:48 of the period, setting up a tense finish where every shift in the final minutes carried added weight.
The result of that overtime mattered immediately for the series picture. The winner of Game 5 would move ahead 3-2 and take that momentum into Game 6, scheduled Thursday night in Anaheim.
Beyond the late drama, Anaheim’s special teams and overall structure stayed in the spotlight.. Beckett Sennecke extended his goals streak to four games with a power-play score. while Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier each added two assists.. Lukas Dostal. meanwhile. made 25 saves through regulation as the Ducks battled to keep pace with a Vegas offense that found timely breakthroughs.
For Hertl, the goal also arrived as a long-awaited turn.. He had gone 29 straight games dating back to the regular season without scoring. and then now has two goals in two games.. The timing was significant not only because it changed the scoreboard. but because the same shift of momentum helped Vegas control key stretches.
Hertl’s scoring night was also tied to an earlier set of plays that shifted momentum back toward the Golden Knights. He had the primary assist on Pavel Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period, one of the catalysts for Vegas’ early lead.
The game’s first-period tempo took a sharper turn when Ryan Poehling was hurt while being checked hard into the boards by Brayden McNabb nearly halfway through the first period.. McNabb was assessed a five-minute major for interference and sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct. a swing that carried both immediate and longer-term consequences for Vegas.
That penalty set the stage for Anaheim’s response.. The Ducks eventually cashed in on the power play when Sennecke scored off a rebound. turning the man advantage into a momentum boost.. Later. Dorofeyev answered with a goal after taking the puck from Chris Kreider. moving into the slot and firing past Dostal.
The third period then became a back-and-forth sequence that kept the game from settling into a single rhythm.. Zellweger’s late equalizer didn’t come from a rushed chance. but rather from sustained offensive pressure and extended time in the offensive zone. which allowed Anaheim to press until the tying goal finally arrived.
Even after the scoring exchange, the defensive effort remained central to what the teams did at both ends. Carter Hart made 34 saves for the Ducks, helping keep Vegas’ late lead within reach long enough for Anaheim to force overtime.
With Game 5 headed to extra play after Zellweger’s first postseason goal. both teams now face the same next question: can they convert the next stretch of pressure into control of the series?. If Anaheim wins. the Ducks would take the narrow edge with a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 in their home building. while a Vegas win would flip that advantage just as quickly.
Zellweger playoff goal Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 5 overtime Lukas Dostal saves Tomas Hertl scoring