Pavel Dorofeyev, though, would go on to score his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime to give the Golden Knights the win.
“It was just a good offensive-zone shift and a good pass and I had some time to shoot, and it went in,” Zellweger said. “I think we wanted to play both sides of the puck pretty well, and I thought we picked our spots well (to jump into the rush), but it just didn’t pan out.”
Zellweger said prior to the game that he felt his timing was good in his playoff debut and he was able to keep things simple.
In Game 5, he made it a point to try and get more involved offensively and jump into the rush at opportune times.
“I’m super happy,” Gauthier said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, obviously (Zellweger) made a great play there and was able to get himself open and make a great shot.
“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 two games, he was ready to go. Kudos to him for having a great mindset these last few months, and obviously it pays off with a big goal.”
Selected by Anaheim in the second round (No. 34) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Zellweger had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 76 games this season, his third in the NHL.
However, when the playoffs started, Zellweger found himself the odd man out in all six games for the Ducks in the first round against the Edmonton Oilers and the first three against Vegas.
As a result, Zellweger has been the last of 15 players — so far — to make his postseason debut for Anaheim, although similarly to Game 4, his performance on Tuesday has likely earned himself at least one more playoff game.
“He was active, he was skating, he had some possession time, too, as well off the rush and in the zone,” Quenneville said. “He was a factor, and it was good to see him respond in the last couple of games after watching as much as he did. It was a great response.”