Ivan Barbashev's Controversial Goal Puts Vegas Up 1-0 on Anaheim, and the Ducks Are Furious

The Vegas Golden Knights are heading home with Game 1 in their back pocket, but not without drama. Ivan Barbashev buried the go-ahead goal with 4:58 left in the third period to lift Vegas to a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night in Las Vegas. The problem? The entire Ducks bench thought it shouldn't have counted.

Here's what happened. Barbashev fired the puck into the zone from behind the red line, and initially, everyone in the building expected an icing call. Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe was screening Jack Eichel, and the whole Ducks squad let up anticipating the whistle. But the refs waved off the icing call at the last second. Pavel Dorofeyev crossed a pass to Barbashev, who roofed a shot from the left side of the crease for the game-winner. Coach Joel Quenneville and the Anaheim bench angrily protested the non-icing call. You could feel the tension from the stands.

Vegas Takes Control Early, Then Hangs On

Brett Howden got the party started for Vegas in the second period at 3:14, redirecting Mitch Marner's cross-ice pass through traffic inside the left post. That was Howden's fifth goal in seven playoff games, a huge stat considering he scored only 12 in 58 regular-season games. Anaheim tied it 1-1 with 6:03 remaining in the third when Jackson LaCombe drove down the left wing and crossed to Mikael Granlund, who ripped in a wrist shot for his third playoff goal.

Carter Hart was a wall for Vegas, stopping 33 of 34 shots. Marner added an empty-netter with six seconds left to seal it. On the flip side, Lukas Dostal made 19 saves for Anaheim in a losing effort. Granlund was the lone goal scorer for the Ducks.

Vegas Heads Into Game 2 With Series Momentum

The Golden Knights are now 28-8-3 all-time against Anaheim, including a dominant 16-3-1 at home. Game 2 tips off Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The Ducks will have to shake off the sting of that controversial call if they want to stay alive in this series.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.