China
Red!
Some 101 couples attend a golden wedding anniversary celebration on Laojun Mountain in Luanchuan County, Central China’s Henan Province, Aug. 16, 2018, in the run up to Qixi Festival, known as China’s Valentine's Day.
Falling on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar - Aug. 17, this year - the festival celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology.
DALLAS (AP) — Noah Hanifin broke a tie with an unassisted goal late in the second period and the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights beat the top-seeded Dallas Stars 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
Hanifin was one of the three trade-deadline acquisitions for the Knights, the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Jonathan Marchessault scored his second goal of the series, and his franchise-record 36th in the postseason while appearing in all 90 of Vegas' playoff games.
Jack Eichel assisted on Marchessault's goal and added an empty-netter. Logan Thompson had 20 saves in his second career playoff start.
Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
In the Western Conference Final last May, the Knights were the top seed when winning the first three games against Dallas and eventually taking the series in six games.
After falling 4-3 in the opener of this first-round series, the Stars came out intent on setting a hard-hitting tone before the series shifted West.
Mason Marchment took defenseman Zach Whitecloud off his skates with a jarring hit behind the Vegas net only 2 1/2 minutes into the game. Knights captain Rob Stone ended up on the ice midway through the first period when it appeared that he was going to take a shot at Jason Robertson, who instead bowed up and delivered a body blow instead.
In the end, Dallas couldn't take down the Knights.
Hanifin's go-ahead shot came after Stars defenseman Esa Lindell blocked two shots in a row.
Robertson gave the Stars a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the series, on a power play with 3:13 left in the first period. His 10th career playoff goal was his eighth against Vegas.
After Eichel's shot went in the empty net late, Robertson broke his stick when he slammed it against the post.
The goal by Robertson came soon after Marchment whiffed at a loose puck that had popped off Thompson's glove, and another scramble in front of the goalie when Roope Hintz was denied twice.
The Knights got even with 1:51 left in the first period on a charge when Eichel made a move that Jake Oettinger bit on. The goalie slipped down and Marchessault had an open side of the net after getting a nifty pass.
Oettinger had 23 saves, including a sequence in the second period when he knocked away three successive shots by Shea Theodore.
After his first shot was blocked, Theodore gathered the loose puck and tried a backhander on which Oettinger made a sprawling save, lunging to knock away the puck with his extended glove. The Knights defenseman got the puck again, skated around a couple of Stars and his third shot went off the goalie who was still laying on the ice at the edge of the crease.
That was during a 4-on-4 period after a scuffle in front of Oettinger when his teammate Ryan Suter threw Anthony Mantha down and both got roughing penalties.
Thomas had a couple of close-range saves right after that.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
NHL linesman Trent Knorr (74) and players try to intervene as Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist (5) and Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) get tangled up during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars defenseman Ryan Suter (20) and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Anthony Mantha (39) scuffle during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars defenseman Ryan Suter (20) and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Anthony Mantha (39) exchange words after a scuffle during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) celebrates his first period goal in front of the Dallas Stars bench during Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) chases the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault, right, celebrates his first period goal with goaltender Logan Thompson (36) during Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars players celebrate a first period power play goal by Jason Robertson, not visible, during Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) is tripped up by Vegas Golden Knights left wing William Carrier (28) during Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin slaps a scoring shot against the Dallas Stars during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Vegas Golden Knights players surround Noah Hanifin after he scored against the Dallas Stars during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
