- Olen Zellweger scored his first career playoff goal with 3:05 left to force OT in Game 5
- The 22-year-old defenseman was a healthy scratch for nine straight playoff games before Game 4
- Read below for Joel Quenneville’s praise and watch the video of the tying goal
Olen Zellweger watched the first nine games of the postseason from the press box. It only took him two in the lineup to score his first career playoff goal and earn high praise from Joel Quenneville.
The 22-year-old defenseman ripped a shot bar down with 3:05 left in regulation Tuesday, tying Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights at 2-2 and forcing overtime. Anaheim fell 3-2 when Pavel Dorofeyev struck at 4:10 of OT, but Quenneville couldn’t say enough about his young blueliner afterward.
“I commend him,” Quenneville said, per NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest. “It’s a great attribute to show his competitiveness. He stayed with it and was professional for a young kid, knowing that you lose your lifetime dream of not playing in a playoff game.”
The Ducks coach kept going on how Zellweger handled the long wait.
“He bided his time, he worked his tail off getting himself not just conditionally ready for it, but mentally,” Quenneville said. “That was the thing that we were all appreciative of, how he approached it and prepared himself to be a part of it and contribute in a meaningful way. And he did more than we were expecting.”
Catch Zellweger’s tying goal here:
Selected 34th overall in the 2021 draft, Zellweger put up 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 76 games during the regular season.
He sat out all six first-round games against Edmonton and the first three of the Vegas series before drawing in for Game 4 on Sunday, when he picked up an assist in a 4-3 win.
On the tying goal, Cutter Gauthier slid a quick cross-ice feed to the top of the left circle, and Zellweger snapped it past Carter Hart at 16:55 of the third. Gauthier talked about his teammate’s clutch moment.
“Zelly made a great play there and was able to get himself open and make a great shot,” Gauthier said. “He’s been extremely disciplined with how he carries himself on and off the ice. This whole season, and when his name was called these last handful of games, he was ready to go.”
Vegas leads the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can advance to the Western Conference Final with a win at Honda Center on Thursday.
Anaheim played most of Game 5 without forward Ryan Poehling, who left in the first period after Brayden McNabb’s hit that drew a major and a Player Safety hearing.
Mason McTavish told reporters the room is fired up to have Zellweger back in the mix.
“He’s been out for so long, and to get his chance and score, it’s awesome. I’m so happy for him,” McTavish said.
