The Vegas Golden Knights returned to the win column thanks to a come-from-behind 6-5 victory against the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night at Bell Centre.
After trailing 2-0 and 3-1, the Golden Knights fought back and eventually took a 6-4 lead late in the third period thanks to two power-play goals scored just 44 seconds apart.
Montreal fought until the bitter end, but so did Vegas netminder Adin Hill, who battled through a rough night to help the Golden Knights bounce back falling 3-0 to Washington on Tuesday.
The Golden Knights relied on an excellent performance by special teams, which accounted for three power-play goals and a shorthanded marker.
The barnburner featured 11 goals, including six in the second period alone. What the high-octane contest lacked in defense, it made up for in excitement.
“It was certainly entertaining,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said.
The Golden Knights fell into a 2-0 hole in the first 10:03 of the first period, as Alex Newhook and Johnathan Kovacevic scored 4:20 apart.
But Brett Howden’s power-kill strike 2:33 into the middle frame kicked off Vegas’ offensive outburst.
Before Vegas could get going, however, Montreal restored its two-goal lead at 8:28 of the second, as Jesse Ylönen made it a 3-1 game.
It took the Golden Knights just 18 seconds to respond, as Brayden McNabb netted his first of the season. The initial shot hit McNabb in the slot, and he gathered the puck, dragged it to change the angle and then fired it into the net.
Jonathan Marchessault reset the score at 3-3 less than three minutes later with his seventh of the season.
The back-and-forth action continued, as Montreal answered just 33 seconds later on Ylönen’s second of the night.
But it was Shea Theodore who had the last word in the second, scoring from downtown to cap off the Golden Knights’ four-goal middle frame. It was the first of three straight power-play goals for Vegas, and it left the two clubs tied at 4-4 going into the third.
The three goals scored in the third period all came in the final two minutes of regulation, and all three were scored in the span of just 62 seconds.
Vegas took full advantage of Brendan Gallagher’s double-minor for high-sticking late in the game. Less than a minute into the power play, Jack Eichel found the back of the net with the go-ahead goal at 18:04.
The Golden Knights scored on the second minor as well, as Mark Stone converted on a wraparound, making it 6-4 with 72 seconds left in regulation.
Stone’s tally proved to be the game-winner, but the Canadiens did not go down without a fight.
In fact, Montreal pulled within one when defenseman Justin Barron got a puck through Hill to make it 6-5 with 54 seconds remaining. Barron’s goal came just 18 seconds after Stone’s.
The Canadiens made things interesting until the final buzzer, but Hill and the Golden Knights were able to hold on for the two points, improving Vegas’ record to 13-3-1.
The Golden Knights had a ton of chances against Washington, and the same was true in Montreal. This time, however, they were able to capitalize.
Two nights after the Golden Knights were shut out for the first time this season, Vegas responded with six goals by six different players and a season-high 43 shots. If not for the play of Canadiens netminder Cayden Primeau, the Golden Knights could have hit a season-high in goals.
It was an entire team effort, as 17 of 18 Golden Knights skaters recorded at least one shot and 10 different players found the scoresheet. Theodore led all players with four points, while Eichel and Stone each had three.
It was far from Hill’s best night, but while he finished the game with a save percentage of .821, he made a few crucial timely saves, and several of Montreal’s tallies were scored on screened shots, wide-open looks in the slot or, in the case of Ylönen’s first goal, on a breakaway.
“At the end of the day, we’re glad to win and happy to win,” Cassidy said. “I felt we did enough to win. Special teams was certainly a big difference maker.”
That, it was.
The Golden Knights finished 3-for-7 on the man-advantage, which marked the first time this season that Vegas scored three power-play goals. This included two critical goals that won the game for Vegas very late in the third period. Plus, the power play generated chances at a high rate all night after going a combined 0-for-8 in Vegas’ previous four games.
“We’ve talked about [special teams] being more important for us this year,” Cassidy said. “Last year, we got a lot of wins, and it wasn’t always a strength of ours. This year, especially the kill lately has been excellent.”
That was true once again in Montreal, as the penalty kill finished the game 3-for-3 while coming away with Vegas’ fourth shorthanded goal of the year.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game defensively,” Marchessault said. “We needed that; we needed to get back in the win column.”
The win also helped Vegas sweep the season series after securing a 3-2 shootout win against Montreal on Oct. 30.
The Golden Knights will finish their five-game road trip with stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas before returning home next Saturday. Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh will be the first time Reilly Smith suits up against his former club.