It happened after a faceoff just outside the Golden Knights blue line with five seconds left in the first period with Vegas holding a 2-1 lead. Vegas took control of the puck, which was passed back to Pietrangelo in order to wind down the final seconds of the period. Instead of a quiet ending when the buzzer sounded, however, things got heated as Evander Kane skated full speed towards Pietrangelo and cross-checked him up high, hitting him in the side of the neck. That caused a scrum as all the Golden Knights skaters went after Kane.
Unlike some incidents in the past where players have gotten away with cross-checking, there was no debating this penalty as everyone saw it. It was an easy call for the officials, so Kane began the second period in the penalty box with a two-minute minor penalty. No other players were penalized in the ensuing scrum.
The incident seemed to fire up the Golden Knights, who scored three goals in the second period to take a commanding 5-1 lead over the Oilers. Not sure what Kane was trying to accomplish by going after Pietrangelo, but his plan clearly backfired.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
