Vegas Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar earned a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm in the second period of Game 6.
With just over 20 seconds remaining in the second, Ekholm took a hard hit from Kolesar in the corner of Edmonton’s defensive zone.
Ekholm remained down on the ice and was visibly bleeding from his face following the hit. He had to be met by a trainer on the ice and subsequently headed to the locker room.
Ekholm did return to the Oilers’ bench to start the third period.
The Golden Knights led the game 4-2 by the end of the period after Vegas scored three goals within 1:29, resulting in Stuart Skinner’s replacement in net by Jack Campbell. It’s the third time Skinner has been pulled in this year’s playoffs.
Post-game, Ekholm said he felt Kolesar received the proper penalty for the hit.
“I didn’t see much, I got my head face planted into the boards and that was it,” he said. “I heard from guys that have seen it that he jumped and then he kind of elbowed me in the back of the head.”
The Golden Knights ultimately took the game 4-3 and now head into Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead.
