4/29/25 Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs Game Recap
- Lyanna Yeow
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild (GAME 5)
The Vegas Golden Knights won Game 5 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Minnesota Wild. This game took place at T-Mobile Arena and ended with a 3-2 overtime win for the Knights.
T-Mobile Arena’s excitement grew as #71 William Karlsson scored a shorthanded goal early in the first period which momentarily gave the Knights a 1-0 lead. The Wild quickly answered back thirteen seconds later with a game-tying power play goal scored by #97 Kirill Kaprizov (1-1). After a couple shots on goal by both teams, #61 C. Mark Stone broke the standstill and regained the Knights’ one-goal lead in the latter half of the period by releasing a slap shot which slipped past the Wild’s goaltender, #32 Filip Gustavsson (2-1). The Knights continued to maintain puck possession in the final five minutes of the period which helped their goaltender, #33 Adin Hill, to keep it a 2-1 game going into the second period.
Despite both teams having great chances, the score remained in the Knights’ favor (2-1) as #32 Gustavsson and #33 Hill maintained a 100% save success rate during the second period. In regards to power play opportunities, the Wild was the only team in the second period to find themselves on the man-advantage. The Knights penalty kill unit was able to kill off the first Wild power play opportunity but remained tested going into the last period of the game as the second opportunity continued into the first thirty-nine seconds of the third period.
Although the Wild were unable to score on the man-advantage, they were able to tie the game with a goal scored by #12 Matt Boldy early in the third period (2-2). #29 Marc-Andre Fleury made a couple great saves throughout the remainder of regulation after he started in net for the Wild during the third period. In the final minutes of the game, #38 Ryan Hartman scored a goal which was waved off after a successful Off-side Coach’s Challenge by the Knights. This successful Coach’s Challenge kept the game tied 2-2 and forced the teams to go into overtime.
The Knights were able to maintain puck possession and regain their one-goal lead after #21 Brett Howden successfully scored within the first five minutes of overtime. This 3-2 overtime win helped the Knights to gain the lead in their series against the Wild.
The standout players
Vegas Golden Knights
Minnesota Wild
Forward: #12 Matt Boldy and #97 Kirill Kaprizov scored the two Wild goals of this game
Defensemen: #5 Jake Middleton assisted one goal in this game
Goaltender: #32 Filip Gustavsson initially started out in net for the Wild and had a save percentage of 0.920% after he saved 23 out of 25 shots on goal before #29 Marc-Andre Fleury took over during the third period of the game. #29 Fleury ended the game with a 0.857 save percentage after he saved 6 out of 7 shots on goal.
Stats
The Knights outshot the Wild (32 SOG vs. 22 SOG)
The Wild delivered more hits than the Knights (36 hits vs. 26 hits)
The Knights won more faceoffs than the Wild (61.0% vs 39.0%)
The Wild had a higher power play success rate than the Knights (33.3 PP% vs. 0 PP%)
SUMMARY: Despite the Wild playing a more physical game and finding more success on the power play, the Knights’ puck possession and goaltending was able to keep them in this game and ultimately win in overtime.
Upcoming Games
GAME 6
When: May 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM PST
Where: Xcel Energy Center
Watch: ESPN, Sling TV, YouTube TV
The Vegas Golden Knights lead 3-2 in round one of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild
Who do you think is going to win Game 6?
Comment down below!
LA Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers (Game 5)
The Edmonton Oilers won Game 5 in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the LA Kings. This game took place at Crypto.com Arena and ended with a final score of 3-1 in the Oilers’ favor.
After a set of great scoring chances, hits, and a couple power play opportunities, the first period remained at a 0-0 standstill after the impressive goaltending performances of Oilers’ #30 Calvin Pickard and Kings’ #35 Darcy Kuemper.
The Kings broke the standstill with a power play goal tipped into the back of the net by #96 Andrei Kuzmenko, who made it a 1-0 game. This lead did not last long as the Oilers answered back with a game-tying power play goal scored by #91 Evander Kane in the first half of the second period (1-1). The Oilers maintained puck possession throughout the remainder of the period but found themselves struggling to successfully score a goal past Kings’ #35 Darcy Kuemper. This performance kept it a tied game going into the third period.
Oilers’ #13 Mattias Janmark broke the tie after he capitalized on a rebound which gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Their goal-scoring momentum also positively affected their penalty kill unit as they were able to kill off another Kings’ power play during the latter half of the period. In the final minutes of the period, the Kings pulled #35 Kuemper to have an extra man on the ice. After a series of great scoring chances, the Oilers were able to regain puck possession and extend their lead 3-1 with a goal scored by #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The standout players
Edmonton Oilers
LA Kings
Stats
The Oilers outshot the Kings (46 SOG vs. 22 SOG)
The Kings delivered more hits than the Oilers (59 hits vs. 46 hits)
The Kings won more faceoffs than the Oilers (55.4% vs 44.6%)
The Kings had a higher power play success rate than the Oilers (33.3 PP% vs. 0 PP%)
SUMMARY: Despite the Kings playing a more physical game and finding more success on the faceoff and power play, the Oilers’ puck possession and goaltending was what helped them to secure their 3-1 win.
Upcoming Games
GAME 6
When: May 1, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST
Where: Rogers Place
Watch: ESPN, Fubo, Sling TV, YouTube TV
The Edmonton Oilers lead 3-2 in round one of the playoffs against the LA Kings
Who do you think is going to win Game 6?
Comment down below!
Come back for the next 2025 Stanley Cup Round One Western Conference game recap!
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