Brett Howden won a battle along the boards, cut in and scored a short-handed goal that lifted the Golden Knights to a 5-4 victory over Utah in double overtime in Game 5.
The decisive play came in a playoff game that did not end until Howden finished it off, turning a loose puck and a small opening into the goal that settled a 5-4 battle. The short-handed score was the final word in a game that stretched into double overtime before the Golden Knights finally broke through.
That made Howden the player who ended UTA@VGK, Game 5, on a clip the NHL described as the decisive scoring play. The matchup was part of the playoffs, and the finish delivered the kind of sudden turn that can swing a series night in one rush.
The only question left is how Utah absorbs a loss that came after it had pushed the game all the way to double overtime. For the Golden Knights, the answer is simpler: they got the goal that mattered, and Howden scored it.