The Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-12) locked up their fifth straight win with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings (19-16-11) Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Mark Stone scored the game-winning goal 25 seconds into overtime off a fantastic play by Jack Eichel, helping Vegas secure the extra point. Vegas also got goals from Braeden Bowman and Mitch Marner.
The first period was far from ideal for the Golden Knights, who played poorly and didn’t generate much of anything. In fact, the Golden Knights recorded five shots on goal but only attempted nine, a season-low. Fortunately for the Golden Knights, it was a scoreless opening frame in Los Angeles thanks in large part to a strong showing from Akira Schmid, who turned aside all nine shots he faced.
The Golden Knights looked like a different team to start the second, and it paid off just under four minutes in when Bowman scored his first goal in 18 games. The Kings lost track of Bowman in front, who collected a backhand feed from Eichel, made a quick stickhandle move and then roofed it into the cage to make it a 1-0 game.
The Golden Knights carried that lead into the second intermission after a strong effort that saw them shut down Los Angeles’ forecheck and outshoot the Kings 14-8.
But the Kings’ most dangerous player of the night reset the score at 6:24 of the third. Schmid made a few saves on the Kings’ first two attempts but couldn’t stop Kevin Fiala on the third.
The Golden Knights got their second power play of the game midway through the frame when Adrian Kempe was whistled for hooking. Just 44 seconds into the man-advantage, the Golden Knights took their second lead of the night.
It was a great play by Marner, who took advantage of the ice he was given and ripped one past Darcy Kuemper to make it 2-1 at 12:07.
But the Kings came up with the answer once again. It didn’t come until Kuemper was on the bench, but Los Angeles netted the equalizer with just 1:27 remaining in regulation.
An ill-advised icing by Eichel set up a draw in Vegas’ end, which the Kings won. The Golden Knights weren’t strong enough on their sticks in front, and Brandt Clarke crept in to the back door to slam the puck into the net.
Eichel and the Golden Knights made up for it in overtime, however.
For a change, Vegas was confident and aggressive right out of the gate in extra time. Eichel forced a turnover and then raced up the ice on a 2-on-1 with Stone. Eichel made an exceptional play, forcing Kuemper to overcommit before making a diving pass from behind the net. That pass ended up on the stick of Vegas’ captain, who made no mistake in front of the empty cage.
Stone’s two-point night extended his point streak to nine games, during which he has recorded 14 points. Eichel assisted on all three of Vegas’ goals, giving him 10 points on his current six-game point streak.
The Golden Knights never trailed, and despite giving up a late goal in the third period, Vegas rebounded with an impressive effort in overtime, something that has been lacking for most of this year.
The Kings are offensively-challenged, but they’re still a competitive team in the Western Conference. As such, this win carries a little more weight than other matchups against basement dwellers, though stringing five wins together is an accomplishment regardless of opponent, particularly following a five-game skid.
Schmid played very well, finishing the game with 22 saves on 24 shots for a .917 save percentage. He now has 14 wins on the year. Adin Hill is nearing a return, but Schmid has really stepped up lately, winning three games in a row.
Stone’s utter dominance continues to lift the Golden Knights, and Eichel is heating up at a perfect time. The two combined for five points on the night, teaming up for the spectacular finish on the first shift of overtime.
The extra frame has been a killer for Vegas this season, with urgency being the primary culprit. However, the Golden Knights took control early to claim the extra point and keep their winning streak alive.
Marner also had a standout night. When he activates on the power play, it really opens things up for the other four members of the Golden Knights’ man-advantage, especially as opponents adjust to the Stone to Pavel Dorofeyev play from the goal line.
Marner has produced consistently this season, and he’s filled a critical need at center in recent games, but he hasn’t always been a game-breaker. That wasn’t the case in Los Angeles, however, as his goal was one of his most clutch plays of the year. He’ll look to carry that over into tomorrow night’s game, which will be a meaningful matchup as he takes on his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner was drafted fourth overall in 2015 by Toronto, where he played the first nine seasons of his career prior to coming to Vegas via a sign-and-trade over the summer. He has 11 goals and 47 points in 45 games this season.
The Golden Knights will return home for a three-game homestand, starting tomorrow night against the Leafs (6:30 p.m. on ESPN) to wrap up the back-to-back.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
Photo via Golden Knights