Dorofeyev OT winner puts Knights up 3-2

Doro Finds It Again

Dorofeyev has made a habit of turning messy moments into clean finishes.

He tied the game in the first period with a power-play goal after stripping John Carlson in the offensive zone. Instead of forcing a play from the wall, Dorofeyev moved into the middle and beat Dostal to make it 1-1 at 16:13.

“Nothing special there,” Dorofeyev said. “That’s usually what happens when you get a big puck off from the guy.”

There was plenty special about the finish, though. Dorofeyev now has seven goals this postseason, and his latest came after he blocked a shot, hobbled down the tunnel, tested the leg and returned.

“The puck seems to follow him, huh?” John Tortorella said. “He doesn’t say much. Just goes and plays.”

Dorofeyev described the shot block as “part of my job.” Then he came back and did the other part, too.

Five D, Full Buy-In

The game changed midway through the first period when Brayden McNabb received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct after a hit on Ryan Poehling. McNabb played only 3:17, forcing Vegas to play most of the night with five defensemen.

Anaheim scored once on the major, as Beckett Sennecke finished a rebound at 12:36 for his fifth goal of the postseason. However, the Knights killed the rest and kept the game within reach.

That mattered because the minutes piled up quickly. Shea Theodore played 30:00. Noah Hanifin played 28:01, and Rasmus Andersson played 26:37.

Dylan Coghlan also gave Vegas 20:05 in a difficult spot.

“He’s not afraid of anything,” Tortorella said. “He’s willing to hold on to pucks. He’s got us out of our end zone really good.”

Tortorella said he was proud of the group for finding a way after losing “one of our top D.”

Hart Holds The Line

Anaheim pushed hard, especially in the second period. The Ducks outshot Vegas 17-6 in the middle frame and spent long stretches in the offensive zone.

Carter Hart kept the game tied.

He finished with 34 saves on 36 shots, including a key stop on Jeffrey Viel in the third period with Vegas leading 2-1. Hart also handled early pressure before the game settled, giving the Knights time to absorb the McNabb ejection and reset.

Rasmus Andersson said Hart led the response.

“We have all the faith in the world in Carter,” Andersson said. “He made some really big saves for us in key moments.”

That was the quiet spine of the game. Dorofeyev supplied the finish, but Hart kept the door open long enough for Vegas to get there.

Hertl Breaks Through Again

Tomas Hertl’s drought looks gone now.

After scoring in Game 4, Hertl added another major goal Tuesday. Early in the third period, he won body position near the crease after a shot from Andersson and pushed the rebound through Dostal to give Vegas a 2-1 lead at 4:48.

It was Hertl’s second goal in as many games after a long stretch without one.

“It was pretty hard two months for me,” Hertl said. “Everybody expected I will score goals and do something happen.”

Hertl also assisted on Dorofeyev’s first goal and helped give Vegas the kind of depth production it needed. Tortorella said Hertl’s line gave the Knights “big minutes,” even though it was on the ice for Anaheim’s tying goal.

For Vegas, that matters moving forward. The Knights will need more than one line to close this series.

Anaheim Pushes Back

The Ducks did not go quietly.

First, Sennecke scored on the major penalty in the first, extending his strong postseason. Then Olen Zellweger tied the game with 3:05 left in regulation, finishing a long Anaheim shift with a shot from the left circle.

As a result, the building went quiet, and Vegas’ third-period lead disappeared.

Still, the Knights did not unravel. After regulation, Brandon Saad said the message was simple: stick with it.

“We thought we did a lot of good things,” Saad said. “Someone’s got it in this room.”

Dorofeyev did.

One Win Away

Vegas now leads the series 3-2 and can close it Thursday in Anaheim.

Still, that will not be easy. Saad called the fourth win “always the hardest,” and the Ducks have already shown they can push back late.

However, Game 5 gave the Knights something more important than a clean win. It gave them proof they can survive a game that bends sideways.

After all, they lost McNabb early, played five defensemen and gave up a late tying goal. Even so, they got 34 saves from Hart, another goal from Hertl and two more from Dorofeyev.

As a result, that is playoff math Vegas can live with.

Game 6 is Thursday at Honda Center. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.