Knights Nba

Knights Top Canadiens 3-2

Hertl scores winner in 1st career playoff game

Golden Knights take 3-2 series lead

Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal in his first career playoff game as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Friday night to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

Hertl, who was recalled from the minors on Thursday, redirected a pass from Mark Stone past Carey Price at 13:27 of the third period to give the Golden Knights the lead for good.

The Golden Knights also got goals from Stone and Alex Tuch, while Price made 28 saves for the Canadiens. Shea Weber and Brendan Gallagher scored for Montreal.

Game 6 is set for Sunday night in Montreal.

The Golden Knights are now one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in their three-year history. The Canadiens, meanwhile, will need to win both games in Montreal to force a Game 7.