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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterMay 17, 2024, 01:52 AM ET
CloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
After missing the past two games to be with his wife for the birth of their son, Phillip Di Giuseppe scored his first career playoff goal and was instrumental in the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-2 win Thursday over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Di Giuseppe, who had only one playoff point in 11 games before Game 5, tied the score at 2-2 a little more than five minutes into the second period. The Oilers were in their zone when Di Giuseppe was aggressive on the forecheck and delivered a hit on Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
It led to the puck making its way to Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, who was behind the net. As Bouchard attempted to advance the puck up the ice, he lost possession and Di Giuseppe did a spin move at the net front to create separation to score the tying goal.
“I got in on Ekholm and [Nils Aman] came flying in on Bouchard,” Di Giuseppe said of his goal. “I don’t know if he coughed it up or poked it off him, I got to watch it again. … So I spun around and scored.”
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Each of the five games in this series has been decided by a goal. With Game 2 being an overtime win for the Oilers, it appeared Game 5 was also set to reach an extra frame before Canucks alternate captain J.T. Miller scored the winning goal with 33 seconds left in the third.
Miller’s game winner came days after Bouchard sealed a 3-2 victory for the Oilers with a winning goal with 39 seconds remaining in the third, which allowed the Oilers to tie the series.
Di Giuseppe’s goal helped the Canucks come within a game of reaching their first Western Conference final since the 2011-12 season, and he did it days after his wife, Maggie, delivered the couple’s second child, whom they named Sam.
“I just couldn’t be happier for him and his wife, Maggie,” Miller said. “Unbelievable people. He deserves it. He works his butt off. It’s a been a year that Phil’s…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40161997/phillip-di-giuseppe-keys-canucks-win-days-birth-son
Author : Ryan Clark
Publish date : 2024-05-17 08:36:04
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