The Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks are locked at 2-2 in their second-round NHL playoff series, setting up a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas (Wednesday morning Beijing time). The winner will seize a 3-2 series lead and move within one win of advancing.
Both Pacific Division rivals posted strong regular-season records. The Ducks finished 43-33-6, while the Golden Knights went 39-26-17. The teams have met seven times this season, with Anaheim winning the most recent matchup 4-3.
Offensively, Vegas has scored 264 goals this season while allowing 242, good for a plus-22 differential. The Ducks have been particularly effective within their division, going 21-14-1, and own an 18-6-5 record when scoring at least one power-play goal.
Key players include Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who has 27 goals and 63 assists this season, and Brett Howden, who has 7 goals and 2 assists in his last 10 games. For the Ducks, John Carlson has 14 goals and 46 assists, while Carter Gauthier has 4 goals and 6 assists in his last 10 contests.
Both teams are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, averaging 3.6 goals per game. Defensively, Vegas allows 2.7 goals per game compared to Anaheim’s 3.2.
Injury concerns are significant. The Golden Knights are without defenseman Jeremy Lauzon due to an undisclosed injury, and captain Mark Stone is day-to-day. The Ducks have been hit harder: veteran Rad
