The Vegas Golden Knights secured their 21st victory of the 2023-24 season with a 6-3 win against the visiting Ottawa Senators Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Six different players lit the lamp for Vegas, and Jack Eichel set a franchise record after extending his point streak to 10 games.
However, there is concern surrounding the health of Vegas’ netminders.
Adin Hill returned to action for the first time since Nov. 30 but lasted just 6:25 before exiting the game. Logan Thompson took over the crease in relief but seemed to be laboring in the third period; he skated to the bench to speak with the trainers but was able to finish the game and pick up his 10th win of the year.
The Golden Knights also appeared to lose another returning player, but Alec Martinez’s trip down the tunnel was brief. Martinez was activated off injured reserve earlier Sunday for his first game action since Nov. 19. He recorded two shots and two blocks in 15:37, at first skating with Brayden McNabb but eventually being reunited with Alex Pietrangelo on the top pair.
The Golden Knights (21-6-5) remain atop the NHL standings with 47 points through 32 games.
There was plenty of energy at the start of the game with Hill back between the pipes and Martinez on the bench. Then, Eichel netted his 14th goal of the season just 1:37 into the contest.
That brought Eichel’s point streak to 10 games, which set a Golden Knights franchise record; he has collected six goals and 16 points in that stretch.
After that, however, things went downhill (pun intended).
Ottawa went 2-for-2 on the power play, with the second goal coming on a one-timer by Josh Norris just 6:25 into the game. Hill was unable to get down into his butterfly as the puck beat him five-hole; he headed to the bench after the play and did not return.
The Senators scored again at 10:55 to take a 2-1 lead.
But the Golden Knights were able to even things up less than three minutes later thanks to a stellar play by Brett Howden in the neutral zone that set up Jonathan Marchessault’s 15th of the year.
Though it was a 2-2 game after 20 minutes, the first period was deflating. In addition to the injury to Hill, the Golden Knights were sloppy, didn’t break the puck out well and went 0-for-2 on the penalty kill.
However, Vegas responded in the middle frame. The Golden Knights administered a healthy dose of forecheck, tied the special teams battle, outshot the Senators 15-5 and outscored them 3-0.
First, Nicolas Roy scored on a play Vegas had prepared for this game based on Ottawa’s tendencies, and it was executed to perfection.
Chandler Stephenson then scored a shorthanded goal on a 2-on-1 with Mark Stone.
Vegas added another tally with 11.2 seconds left in the period, capping off a dominant 90-second shift by the top line with Ivan Barbashev’s eighth of the season.
The special teams struck once more for good measure at 5:43 of the third period, as William Karlsson scored his 14th of the year, matching his entire goal output from the 2022-23 campaign.
Ottawa would add one more on a tic-tac-toe play to make it 6-3 with 1:21 remaining, but the Golden Knights closed out the win to finish 3-1-0 on the homestand.
In the end, the Golden Knights’ special teams played a pivotal role in the turnaround.
Both Vegas and Ottawa finished the game 2-for-5 on the power play, but the Golden Knights’ penalty kill made up for a shaky first period with a shorthanded tally, giving the Golden Knights the 3-2 edge.
That goal, Stephenson’s fourth in his last five games, was a perfect example of the kind of play that has been missing from his repertoire this year. Stone started the play by stripping the puck in the defensive end, but Stephenson’s breakaway speed allowed him to burst past the two Senators, and he showed poise and confidence with the silky finish. That proved to be the game-winning goal.
Though Vegas got production from throughout the lineup, the top line was particularly effective, combining for seven points. Stone recorded three assists against his former team, and Eichel and Barbashev scored a goal and an assist each. Ben Hutton also had a multi-point effort with two helpers.
It wasn’t a perfect game, but the Golden Knights found another gear after a flat start.
“I thought we did a pretty damn good job after the first period of just having a good effort, putting pucks behind, ragging the game and playing the game we wanted to play,” Stone said. “You get into trading chances with those teams, and it kind of lets them hang around. I thought we did a great job of just hanging onto pucks down low, forcing their defense to have long, extended shifts and capitalizing on chances we did get.”
The Vegas forecheck went to work, and all the units seemed to be in sync.
Unlike in recent games, Vegas didn’t sit back with the lead.
“We didn’t really take our foot off the gas,” Stephenson said. “There’s been a couple games as of late that I think we sat back a bit and made it a little too close than we should have and even had games that went into overtime because of it. So it’s nice to just keep our foot down and just secure the win.”
It was the type of performance the Golden Knights needed to deliver following Friday’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo.
That being said, the Golden Knights could be without their two top goaltenders as they hit the road.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy did not have updates regarding the status of either goalie but said that Thompson could play Tuesday night in Carolina.
“I think he’s going to be just fine,” Cassidy said. “I say that optimistically but realistically, too.”
But the Vegas bench boss did not know the extent of Hill’s injury.
“Obviously when you leave and don’t come back, it’s not a great sign,” he said.
Cassidy was hopeful it would not be long-term but said Hill will be re-evaluated on Monday.