Hertl pushed the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 11:00. Dorofeyev’s shot from the right circle hit the back of Timothy Liljegren at the left post, and Hertl swept the loose puck into the open net.
“The power play is always a big, integral part of it,” Cassidy said. “Getting the draws, getting the goal in front. … I’m sure [Hertl] likes coming back and playing here. He probably has terrific memories from years ago. Sometimes when you come back into a building you’re familiar with, you just feel it a little bit.”
Whitecloud made it 5-1 at 12:25 with a one-timer from the right point that beat Askarov through a screen.
Wennberg cut it to 5-2 at 16:29. Liljegren gloved the puck down in the left circle and slid a pass over to Wennberg for a one-timer from the right circle.
“I feel like we had chances,” Wennberg said. “When you have those opportunities, and we had a few today, you just have to score goals that make a big difference in the game.”
Shea Theodore shot the puck from his own zone into an empty net to extend the lead to 6-2 at 17:03 of the third period.
Hertl then scored his second of the game on a one-timer from the right circle to make it 7-2 at 18:59.
“I thought we played a really solid game,” Lindbom said. “Really solid offensively, defensively, [the] power play was buzzing. So, really good.”
NOTES: Stone extended his point streak to eight games (seven goals, five assists). … Eichel extended his point streak to five games (four goals, three assists).
