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A22 sports
Monday 21 May 2018

Expansion Vegas Golden Knights advance to Stanley Cup Final

Associated Press past Fleury’s glove.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) One of Winnipeg’s
— Ryan Reaves scored the downfalls in the series
winning goal, Marc-Andre through four games was
Fleury made 31 saves and an inability to maintain
the Vegas Golden Knights momentum. The Knights
pushed their remarkable scored within 1:28 of a Jets’
expansion season into the goal in each of the first
Stanley Cup Final, beating four games — a crushing
the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on 12 seconds after Winnipeg
Sunday in Game 5 of the tied Game 3, and an
Western Conference final. equally gut-wrenching
Alex Tuch also scored for 43 seconds after the Jets
the Knights. They lost Game knotted Game 4 — but
1 in Winnipeg before they managed to take the
winning four straight to game to the locker rooms
become the first expansion tied 1-1.
team since the 1968 St. Both teams had chances
Louis Blues — when the in the second period
six initial expansion teams before Reaves made it 2-1,
were put alone in the West with Jets center Mathieu
— to get to the final. Perrault just missing on a
Vegas will meet the pass from Little that had
Tampa Bay Lightning or too much speed.
the Washington Capitals in Right after Reaves scored
the final. Tampa Bay leads Vegas Golden Knights’ Deryk Engelland (5), Ryan Carpenter (40) and Alex Tuch (89) celebrate the second playoff goal
the Eastern Conference after Tuck scored during first period NHL Western Conference Finals game 5 hockey action against of his career — and first
final 3-2, with Game 6 the Winnipeg Jets, in Winnipeg, Sunday, May 20, 2018. since 2015 with St. Louis —
set for Monday night in Associated Press Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers
Washington. and Eric Haula to keep his games. turnover and fired his sixth rang a shot off the post on
Josh Morrissey scored team within one. The Jets had the NHL’s past Hellebuyck. Fleury. NOTES: The Jets were
for the Jets, and Connor The Jets pressed with under second-best record with The Jets were tentative an NHL-best 32-7-2 at home
Hellebuyck made 30 saves. 4 minutes to go, with Fleury 114 points in the regular to start and it got worse in the regular season, but
Reaves, the bruising stopping captain Blake season. They advanced after the opener as Vegas were a pedestrian 5-4 in the
Winnipeg native acquired Wheeler on the doorstep, to the first conference dominated the next couple playoffs, including losses in
from the Pittsburgh but it wasn’t nearly enough final in city’s history with of shifts, forcing some good four of their last five post-
Penguins before to the as the Knights closed out a five-game victory over saves from Hellebuyck season outings. Winnipeg
trade deadline in February, their third straight series on the Minnesota Wild in the before Winnipeg got its had won a combined 13
snapped a 1-1 tie with 6:39 the road. opening round before feet moving. straight at home before
left in the second period The Jets beat the Knights topping the Presidents’ After being outshot 7-1 in dropping a 2-1 decision in
when he tipped Luca 4-2 in Game 1, but Vegas Trophy-winning Nashville the first 7 minutes, the Jets Game 4 against Nashville.
Sbisa’s point shot past snatched home ice with Predators in Game 7 on the finally pushed back and ... With his team facing
Hellebuyck for his first goal a 3-1 victory in Game 2 road. turned the tide with the elimination, Jets coach
of the playoffs. before picking up 4-2 and The usual raucous, white- next nine attempts on goal, Paul Maurice inserted
Winnipeg got a power 3-2 wins at T-Mobile Arena. clad crowd at Bell MTS culminating with Morrissey defensemen Dmitry Kulikov
play early in the third, but The Knights, whose jaw- Place — not to mention the making amends for his and Joe Morrow in the
couldn’t muster much dropping inaugural thousands of fans outside early gaffe with 2:46 left in lineup for Toby Enstrom and
of anything. The Knights 109-point campaign the arena attending a the period. Ben Chiarot. Kulikov hadn’t
smothered much of the included a Pacific Division street party on a sun- Bryan Little won a faceoff in played since injuring his
Jets’ attack for the next 10 crown, swept the Los drenched spring afternoon the offensive zone straight back on March 8, while
minutes, with Hellebuyck Angeles Kings in the first — were silenced just 5:11 back to second-year Morrow last suited up
having to come up with big round, and knocked out into Game 5 when Tuch defenseman, who blasted April 20 in Game 5 of the
stops on William Karlsson the San Jose Sharks in six jumped on Morrissey’s his first career playoff goal Minnesota series.q