Amadio unlikely hero for Golden Knights in Game 3
Scores 1st NHL playoff goal in 2OT to defeat Jets, give Vegas lead in Western 1st Round
Rather, the forward heard it in an unsettling contrast of noises. It was the sellout crowd at Canada Life Centre falling silent after being at a fever pitch for the better part of four hours, combined with the strained hooting and hollering from his exhausted teammates on the ice celebrating his goal at 3:40 of the second overtime that gave the Vegas Golden Knights a 5-4 win against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday.
"It is something that I will remember forever for sure," Amadio said after his first NHL playoff goal gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series with Game 4 here Monday. "I kind of didn't even see it go in. I just kind of put it on net and then I heard all the guys on the ice start screaming and that's when I knew."
The goal started innocently enough, with the Amadio line getting in on the forecheck. Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg tried to clear the puck, but it hit hard-charging forward Ivan Barbashev and pinballed into the slot, where Amadio pounced and chopped the puck toward the net, sending it over the shoulder of Connor Hellebuyck, who had been valiant in making 43 saves.
"I think went off 'Barby's' shin pad right into the slot, and I kind of just wanted to get it on net and it luckily went in," Amadio said.
The goal saved the Golden Knights from answering a lot of painful questions.
They were up 4-1 heading into the third period and the Jets were without their best defenseman, Josh Morrissey, who left after two shifts with a lower-body injury that has him out for the series. But Vegas allowed three straight goals in the third, the last by forward Adam Lowry with 22 seconds remaining, the latest tying goal in Winnipeg history.
Somehow the Golden Knights recovered from that gut punch.
Despite the exhaustion, the players burst off the bench to celebrate with Amadio as the famed whiteout -- the playoff tradition that sees Jets fans dress in white and wave white towels -- was muted and the fans trudged into the cold, still night.
"This is this is why you play the game, for these kinds of moments," Vegas captain Mark Stone said. "We watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a kid. Those are special things. I don't want to miss these kinds of things.
"That's why you work tirelessly and endlessly to get to where you need to be. Overtime games are something special. Fans really enjoy it. A lot of chances, eventually someone's going to get tired and probably will make a mistake. I think that's what happened tonight."
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Jets series coverage]
Amadio dreamed of scoring in overtime as a kid, but his dreams an adult have been much narrower.
He just wanted to stay in the NHL as a full-time player, maybe have a chance to play in a game like the one Saturday, hoping against hope that he would be put in a key position if he did. None of it has been a given.
Amadio, selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round (No. 90) of the 2014 NHL Draft, was claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights on Oct. 30, 2021, making them his fourth team in seven months. Amadio has lived day to day in the NHL, rarely, if ever, confident about his next game or his next shift.
"I think with Mike, the biggest thing I've seen is his consistency and his details have changed from the start of the year," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's been better on the walls, he's working hard on being strong on pucks, so his game has grown. I think he had 16 goals (in 67 games) for us this year, so that's good production for a guy that's moved around a lot and doesn't have a steady line. A very popular guy with his teammates, so I'm happy for him."
The forward is affectionately called Plan E by his teammates, a nod to his versatility but also a reference to what Cassidy called him when Amadio was elevated to the top line after a spate of injuries during the regular season tested the depth of the Golden Knights.
Forward Chandler Stephenson played with Amadio during his Plan E stage and developed a new appreciation for him.
"He can play with anybody in the lineup, " Stephenson said. "I really enjoy playing with them. I know everybody does. I don't think he gets the credit that he should with his patience and what he can do with the puck."
He was getting all the credit for what he did with the puck Saturday. Amadio didn't miss on his opportunity, making sure he will long be remembered by fans of the Golden Knights.
As he walked away from the postgame media scrum, he said he couldn't wait to check his phone for texts, the messages likely a road map of the improbable hockey journey that delivered him to glory in Game 3.
"Yeah," Amadio said with a smile, walking down the hallway toward the dressing room, "it's been it's been a pretty wild ride."
