Duck Hunters: 3 Takeaways as Golden Knights Win Game 6, Advance to Western Conference Final
· Yahoo Sports
ANAHEIM, May 14th, 2026– In California, Duck Season typically runs from October through January. But tonight, for one night and one night only, it was reopened at the Honda Center.
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According to California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Vegas Golden Knights could have scored two more goals tonight. But, as it turned out, they didn’t need to hit the daily bag limit to defeat the Anaheim Ducks.
The puck dropped at 6:50 p.m. PST. They made their way through the handshake line at 9:36, and because media availability was so short, I imagine that the team was wheels up for a flight back to Las Vegas by 10:15. Head coach John Tortorella also declined to speak to the media following the series win.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST on Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver.
1. Birds of Prey? No– Birds *Are* Prey
The Ducks were moving targets for the Golden Knights tonight– and it had nothing to do with wearing orange. They made costly mistake after costly mistake, and the Golden Knights capitalized on nearly every single one. There is no better example than their shorthanded goal, which came after the Ducks cheated for offense. Mitch Marner took advantage of this.
“As soon as I saw that he had the puck with some time and space, I just tried to build up speed,” said forward Brett Howden following the 5-1 win. “I thought he was going to kick it out to me, and then he didn’t– he just stayed patient, stayed patient. When he has the puck on his stick, I just try to get to the net… Luckily enough, I found some space, and he made the play.”
Howden became just the eighth player in NHL history to score three short-handed goals in the same postseason.
“It’s funny,” said Howden postgame. “I was just telling Mitch that I don’t know if I’ve ever had a shorthanded goal before. He’s made some unbelievable plays to set me up for some of those.”
2. Next Man Up
It’s important to note that the most impressive part of the Golden Knights’ blowout win is that they did it without Brayden McNabb. The defenseman received a one-game suspension from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety following a hit on Ryan Poehling in Game 5 that knocked the Ducks forward out of the game, and out of Game 6 as well.
“Losing Nabber [is tough],” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson following Game 5. “He’s one of the leaders, if not the leader, on the back end. It’s time for other players to step up.”
And step up they did.
Andersson, Shea Theodore, and Noah Hanifin all played over 24 minutes tonight. Kaedan Korczak returned to the lineup and performed admirably in a limited role. Ben Hutton, too, has given the Golden Knights solid minutes ever since returning to the lineup six games ago. Dylan Coghlan, who played just three games with the NHL club during the regular season, has played in each of the last three games. He logged nearly 20 minutes tonight, recorded four hits, and was a +3.
3. That’s Me in the Spotlight, Losing My Religion
Brayden McNabb has served as alternate captain this season, and Mitch Marner wore the ‘A’ in his absence. And, boy, did he ever fill that role. He scored just 62 seconds into the first period, and made Brett Howden’s shorthanded game-winning goal happen. Marner continues to lead the postseason in scoring with seven goals and 18 points in 11 games.
“He’s a game-breaker, right? You saw it in that series– he was the best player in the series,” said Jack Eichel following the 5-1 win. “He comes out here at the beginning of the first period, makes two incredible plays, and all of a sudden we’re playing with the lead.
“Mitch has been incredible,” continued Eichel. “From day one in training camp, his personality has gelled really well with the team. Obviously, his play is incredible. He’s on a pretty special run right now, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch.
“I feel like he’s had a lot of critics,” Eichel finished. “He’s shutting a lot of people up right now. I’m super happy for him.”