Jack Eichel and Mark Stone proved how dangerous they can be when paired on the Vegas Golden Knights’ top line — and they picked the perfect moment to show it.
Eichel and Stone each notched a goal and an assist, and Adin Hill stopped 29 shots as Vegas edged the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in Game 6 on Thursday night to become the first Western Conference team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“They pushed us to the limit,” Eichel said. “They played with a lot of heart.”
Shea Theodore opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the first, Eichel followed with his first of the series late in the second, and Stone buried the eventual game-winner in the third. The Golden Knights will face the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2, after Edmonton eliminated Los Angeles in six games.
The Wild, meanwhile, extended their painful postseason streak. According to Sportradar, Minnesota has now dropped nine straight playoff series—tied for the third-longest such streak in league history. Their eight consecutive first-round exits match the second-longest run of their kind.
Ryan Hartman scored twice for Minnesota, including a late wraparound goal with 3:27 remaining, bringing the Wild back within one. That strike came just 31 seconds after Stone had doubled Vegas’ lead on a breakaway finish, set up by a stretch pass from Eichel that narrowly eluded a diving Kirill Kaprizov.
“Everyone found a way to contribute throughout the series,” Eichel said. “That’s what it takes to win this time of year.”
Eichel and Stone were held off the scoresheet for the first three games, as Minnesota’s physical play clogged the neutral zone and neutralized Vegas’ speed. In Game 4, coach Bruce Cassidy reshuffled the lines to spark the offense. With Pavel Dorofeyev unavailable for Game 6, Cassidy reunited Eichel and Stone on the top unit with William Karlsson — and it paid off.
“They improved as the series went along,” Cassidy said.
Hartman tied Game 6 with just four seconds left in the first period, this time without controversy. His would-be go-ahead goal in Game 5 — scored with 1:15 remaining in regulation — was overturned on an offside challenge, allowing Vegas to win in overtime and carry momentum into the clincher.
The Golden Knights closed out the series with their third straight one-goal win, including back-to-back OT victories in Games 4 and 5.
“We hear the talk about not getting out of the first round — we know it’s there,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “We believed this year could be different. That’s what makes it hurt.”
