<i>Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone (61) celebrates his goal against the Minnesota Wild with defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) and defenseman Shea Theodore (27) during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 1, 2025. <b>Photo Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images</b></i> [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2c72c924-6103-4cc9-9337-080c354cfa37.jpeg] <i>Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone (61) celebrates his goal against the Minnesota Wild with defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) and defenseman Shea Theodore (27) during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 1, 2025. <b>Photo Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images</b></i> The Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] are moving into the second round of the NHL Playoffs for the fifth time in eight seasons. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Shea Theodore each had a goal and an assist, and the Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild] 3-2 in Game 6 of their first-round series Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Netminder Adin Hill made 29 saves for the Knights, while defenseman Brayden McNabb had two assists. With the win, Vegas eliminated the Wild and will next face the Edmonton Oilers, who eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 of their series later on Thursday. It took time for Eichel and Stone to get going, but finally caught fire in time to help Vegas overcome a 2-1 series deficit and win the next three games. Eichel registered his first three points of the series in Games 5 and 6, while Stone was held without a point until Game 4. Stone scored what would turn out to be the game-winner with 3:58 left when he smacked Brayden McNabb's pass from mid-air past Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson. "Our top guys were a lot more productive and impactful than the first three games," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "That’s probably the biggest story right there. "They got better as the series went on, and it showed and kind of culminated tonight." Stone recorded four points in the last three games of the series, while Theodore, who has been with the franchise since its inception, recovered from a turnover-plagued Game 2 to finish with three points and at +4 over the last three games "I think ever since I got here, that's the message, that we want to win," Theodore said. "Guys care about it every year; that's our goal in training camp. It's good to see us playing well at the right time." Ryan Hartman scored both goals for Minnesota, including his second of the game 31 seconds after Stone made it a 3-1 game. But eight blocked shots helped Hill seal the win and improve to 4-0 all-time in Game 6 as the Knights' goaltender. Meanwhile, the Wild have now lost nine consecutive series in the NHL playoffs, and with their loss came the end of Marc-Andre Fleury's career. The sure first-ballot Hall of Fame 40-year goaltender played four seasons with the Knights, from 2018 to '21, and announced this was his final season. Fleury, the second-winningest goalie in NHL history with 575 victories, won 117 games while playing for Vegas. Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwiNvfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to never miss a story.
