BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Nebojsa Pavkovic, a former Serb-led Yugoslav army chief who was convicted by a U.N. court of war crimes during the war in Kosovo, has died, Serbian officials and media said Monday. He was 79.
Pavkovic died in Belgrade, Serbia's capital, less than a month after he was released from a prison in Finland where he had been serving a 22-year jail sentence for the atrocities against ethnic Albanians in the 1998-99 conflict.
Pavkovic commanded the Serb-led Yugoslav army troops in Kosovo during a Serbian crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanian forces who launched a rebellion to gain independence for the territory which was part of Serbia at the time.
Serbian security forces were accused of systematic crimes against civilians that included expulsions, torture, detentions and murder. More than 13,000 people were killed in the conflict, most of whom were ethnic Albanians.
Pavkovic was regarded as a war hero in Serbia despite his conviction at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was the army's commander in chief from 2000-2002.
“He dedicated his life to serving the country and the army," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday. “His memory will be cherished by those who shared hard and proud days with him.”
The war in Kosovo ended after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999 to force then President Slobodan Milosevic to relinquish control. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a split that Serbia still refuses to accept.
Milosevic died in 2006 in the Netherlands while in custody during his trial at the international tribunal in The Hague.
FILE - Former Yugoslav army chief of staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic, left, and General Vladimir Lazarevic, right, attend military exercise, near the eastern Serbian town of Pirot, Serbia, Sept. 1, 2000. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
FILE - Col. General Nebojsa Pavkovic, the former Yugoslav army chief-of-staff, salutes on Sept. 1, 2000. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shea Theodore scored at 5:38 of the second overtime, avoiding what could have been a potentially devastating loss for the Golden Knights after they blew a four-goal lead, and Vegas beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-1 series lead.
Theodore’s goal went in off goalie Brandon Bussi’s skate. It came long after teammate Mitch Marner had the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history.
The teams take two days off before meeting in Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.
Carolina had been 6-0 in overtime this postseason. The Hurricanes were trying to become the first team to win after trailing by at least four goals in the third period, but now clubs in that situation are 0-109.
“We just left our foot off the gas,” Theodore said on the ABC broadcast. “I think we have to be sharper in the third, but I liked the resiliency out of our group. I liked the way we started that second overtime, and I felt like we were more on our toes.”
This was the 10th time the first three games of a Cup Final were decided by a point. The last time was in 2016 between Pittsburgh and San Jose.
The Golden Knights seemed to have it in hand after scoring four times in the second, including a natural hat trick by Marner.
But Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored goals for the Hurricanes. Their goals, occurring 39 seconds apart, are the fastest in a Cup Final game.
Andrei Svechnikov jammed in a puck on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 left to force overtime.
Marner’s scoring outburst came over a 6:10 stretch of the second period, and he had four points in the period. He had the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal midway through the period.
The last time a player had four points in a period of the Cup final was in 1919 when Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans pulled off that feat.
Marner nearly added to the total in the third period, but failed to capitalize on a breakaway and a penalty shot. Those missed chances came back to bite the Golden Knights.
The Hurricanes made the comeback after changing goalies to open the third, going with Bussi, who made 18 saves. Frederik Andersen had given up those four goals on 16 shots.
Carolina also rallied without forward and former Golden Knight William Carrier, who had an upper-body injury in the second period.
Vegas’ Carter Hart stopped 29 shots.
Vegas twice thought it took the lead early in the second period, but the Hurricanes successfully challenged both goals to keep the game scoreless.
Mark Stone’s goal from the slot 36 seconds into the period was overturned when Brett Howden was determined to be offside after a video review. Another review wiped off Jack Eichel’s rebound goal four minutes in when Rasmus Andersson was called for goalie interference.
It’s not the first time this series went against the Golden Knights.
An unsuccessful video challenge by Vegas coach John Tortorella in Game 2 on Thursday night led to a power-play goal by Staal, whose goal helped the Hurricanes rally to win 4-3 in overtime.
The Golden Knights received a major boost when defenseman Brayden McNabb took the ice. He took a puck in the face in the first period Thursday night at Carolina and didn’t return to the game. McNabb, who had on a cage to protect his face, is Vegas’ best defensive defenseman. He was on the first defensive pair with Theodore.
This series has been, if anything, unpredictable.
Each team blew two-goal leads in the first two games, with the Golden Knights rallying in the opener and Hurricanes responding with a Game 2 victory in overtime.
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Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi, right, is scored on by Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers as defenseman Alexander Nikishin watches during the second overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) celebrate after Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore scored against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the second overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone celebrates after the Golden Knights won in the second overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, left, and center Sebastian Aho during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal with right wing Seth Jarvis (24) and center Jordan Staal (11) as he steps over Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, center, celebrates his goal with center William Karlsson, left, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal with center Tomas Hertl during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his third goal for a hat trick with center Tomas Hertl during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, right, skates behind during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb is seen with a cage on his helmet during the first period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis shoots the puck during the first period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights' Mark Stone (61) celebrates with Pavel Dorofeyev (16) after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes to tie in the third period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48), Seth Jarvis (24), Shayne Gostisbehere (4), and Logan Stankoven (22) ceelbrate after Jarvis scored the game-winning goal against against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
