Most NHL players don’t outperform their regular-season numbers — many don’t even get the chance to try. But for Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden, that doesn’t apply.
After putting up the first two goals of the night, Howden’s postseason total climbed to 13, holding the mantle of team leader in goals. Remarkably, 10 of those have been scored on enemy ice. That's a 76.9% road-goal rate, the highest among active playoff scorers with 10+ goals.
For context, across 58 regular season games, Howden recorded 12 goals and 10 assists.
And when was Howden’s last best playoff run? It was in 2022-23, the year Vegas won the Stanley Cup. That season he put up five goals and 10 points in 22 games, shooting 16.7% and playing a reliable 13:59 per night. In this season’s playoffs, he has outdone himself with a 39.4% shooting percentage, securing three-game winners, all while logging a career-high 16:35 per game.
The Conn Smythe conversation seems to be looking in his favor.
“It was two great plays,” he said on the postgame broadcast. “One, Mitch (Marner) put the puck in a perfect spot. I just looked down, the puck was there, and I felt like I had an edge on him. And then Barbie (Ivan Barbashev) made a great play on the second one. I just tried using my speed up the middle there, and he found me in a great spot.”
Now, with the series sitting at 1–1, Howden and the team will return to home ice for Game 3.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity this whole year,” Howden said. “It’s just another step for us to climb, and, like I said, we’re super excited to get back home and, you know, get back to our fans.”
PHOTO CAPTION
Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) scores against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) during the second period in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.