The Vegas Golden Knights (43-20-8) kicked off their three-game road trip with a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center to sweep the season series.
Jack Eichel scored a hat trick, and Adin Hill made 23 saves as the Golden Knights won their fourth consecutive game.
Eichel’s power-play goal with 5:03 remaining in the third period was the turning point in the game, though it was Brett Howden’s 20th of the year that served as the game-winner as the Golden Knights defeated Marc-Andre Fleury and the Wild.
Shea Theodore returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a broken wrist. It was his 500th game as a member of the Golden Knights, and he showed zero signs of rust, finding the scoresheet early.
Vegas was without Tomas Hertl, who did not travel with the team. However, Eichel took control on the power play in the third period, and it was the Eichel line that set the tone for the Golden Knights throughout, including when Eichel opened the scoring at 6:23 of the first.
Theodore got the puck to the net in transition, and Mark Stone sent a behind-the-back pass to Eichel, who beat Fleury to the far post with his 24th goal of the year.
Theodore recorded the secondary assist on the play, pulling within four points of setting a new career high with his 49th point of the year.
The top line was dominant in the opening frame, leading 10-2 in Corsi, 6-1 in shots and 6-1 in scoring chances in 4:46. Vegas led 11-4 in shots, and Fleury was forced to come up with several stops on one-timers to keep it a one-goal game after 20 minutes.
The Golden Knights grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second period when Howden reached the 20-goal milestone for the first time in his career after banking the puck off Fleury and into the cage.
The Golden Knights played a virtually flawless road game in the first two periods and led 2-0 through 40 minutes.
But the Wild cut the deficit to one when Marcus Johansson broke through 1:42 into the third period. Minnesota capitalized off a rare misstep by the Golden Knights, as a weak clearing attempt by Stone ended up in the back of the net.
The Wild had their first push of the game following Johansson’s tally. It looked as though Minnesota had knotted things up at 2-2, but the puck was touched by a high stick before entering the net and ultimately was waived off.
As has been the case so often this season, the power play proved to be the difference for the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights had just one opportunity on the man-advantage, but they made the most of it late when Eichel scored at 14:57 to restore the two-goal lead. Stone provided the screen as Eichel beat Fleury from distance.
Eichel’s shot-first mentality was a strong workaround for Hertl’s absence on the power play, and it ultimately turned the tide.
From there, Tanner Pearson scored an empty-net goal two minutes later to truly put the game away. But Eichel had the last word, completing the hat trick before the end of regulation for the 5-1 final.
It was the fifth career hat trick for Eichel, who now has 90 points on the year. It also marked the fourth Vegas hat trick in the last nine games.
Though the Golden Knights played an excellent 40 minutes, Eichel’s dominance was the X-factor in a strong road game for a much-needed two points.
Eichel has been sensational all year.
Not only has he produced — he is having the best season of his career and continues to add to his franchise-best single season point total of 90 – but he has also taken care of all the little details in his game. He has been a leader, he has put the team on his back, he has been clutch, he has shut down opposing players, he has won battles, he has forechecked, he has made brilliant passes, he has made his linemates and teammates better. He has done it all.
His 200-foot game has rounded into truly elite form this season, and he has been on quite a tear of late. He now has goals in three straight, points in four straight as well as points in 12 out of his last 13 games, collecting a total of seven goals and 21 points in that stretch. He is fifth in the league in scoring with 90 points in a career year after surpassing his previous career high of 82 points.
The fact that the top line continues to generate chances and score goals is a very positive sign for Vegas, particularly with Hertl sidelined for at least the next few games. The trio of Eichel, Stone and Ivan Barbashev was in complete control, particularly in the first period, allowing the Golden Knights to dictate pace on the road and jump out to an early lead.
But the Golden Knights as a team played virtually shutdown hockey for much of the night. Though Minnesota made it a one-goal game and began to pressure in the third period, Vegas held its ground, Hill made the necessary saves (23 of 24 for a .958 save percentage), and the power play cashed in when it needed to.
Hill has gone 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts and has 27 wins on the year.
Fleury finished the game with 33 saves on 37 shots for an .892 save percentage. He has lost his last four decisions against Vegas. Though these teams could still meet in the postseason, Fleury will retire with a regular-season record of 1-4-0 against the Golden Knights.
The Wild looked completely ineffective for much of the night, and that’s a testament to the Golden Knights’ effort.
Notably, Alex Pietrangelo was not in the lineup. He has been battling an injury and has not looked like himself in recent games, so it’s seemingly a positive development for both him and the team that he’s able to get some rest. It’s unclear if he’ll suit up during the final two games of this road trip, but considering how well Vegas played in Saint Paul, there’s no need for him to be rushed back.
Vegas will take on the Blackhawks on Friday followed by Jonathan Marchessault and the Predators on Saturday. The Golden Knights are now seven points ahead of the Oilers and Kings in the Pacific Division standings.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick