The Vegas Golden Knights scored five unanswered goals in a come-from-behind 6-3 win against the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night at Enterprise Center.
The win extended Vegas’ point streak to six games, but the players were playing for much more than two points. They were playing for Las Vegas — their city —and all those affected by the UNLV shooting that had transpired hours earlier.
With Vegas in their hearts, the Golden Knights rallied from a 3-1 deficit with a four-goal second period, scoring three goals in the span of 2:36 en route to a 6-3 victory.
“The city means everything. Everything,” Keegan Kolesar said after the game. “We’re all pretty heartbroken about it.”
The Golden Knights scored the all-important first goal of the game, as Zach Whitecloud beat Jordan Binnington with a perfect top-shelf shot from the right circle 8:03 into the opening frame.
However, the Blues capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by Ivan Barbashev, and Jake Neighbours reset the score just 1:17 later.
Kevin Hayes and Jordan Kyrou added two more goals for the Blues, who took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
“We started well, and then had a lull, and they took advantage,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We didn’t manage the puck particularly well, and they’ve got some guys that can make you pay. We lost some coverage in front. They scored good goals.”
But the Golden Knights regrouped in a big way, making adjustments to counteract St. Louis’ rush offense.
“We got back to our game,” Kolesar said. “We were closing in on them, we weren’t giving them speed entering our zone. We were harder on sticks, we were getting sticks in front of the puck before they could make plays.”
That hadn’t been the case in the first period, as all three Blues tallies were scored on the rush.
“They’re a really good rush team,” Whitecloud said. “They create a lot, they come with a lot of speed, they’re big, they’re heavy, they’re a really tough team to play against. Knowing that, you’ve got to be good defensively on the rush and then limit their chances. That’s credit to our forwards, too, being supportive in the offensive zone as well. Trying to create offense but having that F3 and being able to squash some of those rushes right away.”
Nearly 10 minutes into the second period, those Golden Knights forwards found the back of the net, as the red-hot Jack Eichel got things started in what turned out to be a four-goal outburst by Vegas against Jordan Binnington and the Blues.
Eichel scored his 12th of the season on a fade-away shot from the slot, pulling Vegas within one on an absolute laser.
Eichel, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault then teamed up for a power-play goal to tie the game at 3-3 less than two minutes later. Karlsson made a behind-the-back, through-the-legs pass to set up Marchessault for his 12th of the year.
Only 27 seconds later, Kolesar scored his second excellent deflection goal of the year to give Vegas the 4-3 lead with what proved to be the game-winner.
But the Golden Knights weren’t finished.
With just 18 seconds remaining in the second period, Michael Amadio gave Logan Thompson some added goal support with his fifth of the year. It was the Golden Knights’ second power-play goal of the game, as they went 2-for-3 in the middle frame.
The Golden Knights had another four power plays in the third period but were unable to convert. However, eight minutes of shorthanded time made it extremely difficult for St. Louis to mount a comeback, and the Golden Knights outshot the Blues 20-8 in the final 20 minutes.
With 12 seconds left in regulation, Karlsson scored an empty-net goal to seal the comeback win.
The Golden Knights have won each of the last three games in which they took a 1-0 lead; St. Louis is now 1-11-1 when giving up the first goal.
Eichel, Marchessault and Karlsson remain tied for the team lead in goals, as all have 12 following Wednesday’s contest. Eichel, Barbashev, Kolesar and Karlsson all finished with two points, and six different players found twine.
Eichel extended his goal streak to four games, and the Golden Knights set a new season high in shots, outshooting St. Louis 49-29. The game marked the first time Vegas has ever had eight power plays in one game.
But while it was an important road win against a Western Conference opponent, the Golden Knights had other things on their mind.
“Obviously, our hearts go out to the people in Las Vegas,” Cassidy said. “Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery for everybody. It makes it hard to play because we actually have people close to us working at UNLV, so you’re just hoping that everyone comes out of it OK. But then you’ve got to play. But again, our staff, players and entire organization are thinking about people back home.”
The Blues held a moment of silence before the game, which Kolesar called “a real class act.”
He and other teammates voiced their pledge of support to and unity with the Las Vegas community.
“Just like we have in the past, we’re going to rally around the city and try to give back as much as we can, and try to heal it as much as we can,” Kolesar said.
We’re there for our community, we support our community, and we stand together with Las Vegas all the time.
Zach Whitecloud
Whitecloud recognized the strength of the city and the bond it has with the team.
“First and foremost, we’re a family in Las Vegas,” he said. “Obviously, this city has been through a lot in the past. It’s a city that sticks together, no matter where you’re from or how long you’ve lived there. It’s a community that always sticks together and comes together to support one another. This team feels the support of the community every single night for the past six, seven years. We’re always there for our community. Obviously it’s a difficult day. It’s very difficult. We’re there for our community, we support our community, and we stand together with Las Vegas all the time.”
Marchessault, an original Misfit, said it was “sad” to be in this situation again.
“We’re Vegas Strong, and we’re going to help the community heal as much as possible,” he said. “Vegas is our home. It’s really sad that we have to go through this again. We’ll be there for everybody, whoever needs it.”
The Golden Knights will take on the Stars in Dallas on Saturday and will return home to face the Sharks Sunday night.
(Photo of Golden Knights: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)