The Vegas Golden Knights delivered another compelling 60-minute effort to secure a 4-1 win against the Washington Capitals Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
It marked the first time the Golden Knights won consecutive games since Nov. 4.
Jack Eichel recorded three points for the second game in a row, Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and Logan Thompson earned his sixth win of the season with a 21-save performance.
For the second game in a row, the Golden Knights were the first to light the lamp.
A questionable slashing call gave Vegas the first power play of the night, and the Golden Knights made it count. Marchessault snapped a six-game scoring drought with a power-play dart from the slot for goal No. 10 on the year for the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Eichel recorded his first point of night with the primary helper, and Thompson picked up his second point of the season with the secondary assist.
From the second period on, the ice was tilted in Vegas’ favor, as Vegas kept the puck almost entirely in the Washington end. Ultimately, however, it wasn’t a cycle play but a Ben Hutton stretch pass that set up the Golden Knights’ second goal of the game.
Eichel got behind the Capitals defense to collect the bouncing puck before beating Darcy Kuemper five-hole on a breakaway, giving Vegas a 2-0 lead just under eight minutes into the period.
It was Eichel’s second point of the game and 10th goal of the year.
The Capitals’ fourth line responded with the club’s best shift through the first half of the contest, but Thompson came up with a clutch glove save.
Washington was frustrated by a few non-calls, which led to some undisciplined penalties; however, Vegas was unable to capitalize on three power plays in the middle frame.
Even so, it was a dominant 20 minutes for the Golden Knights.
At 5-on-5, Vegas outshot the Capitals 14-4 (18-4 at all strengths) and managed a 75 percent Corsi share (24-8) and 76.77 expected goal share (0.83 to 0.25), per Natural Stat Trick. The Golden Knights also had an impressive nine takeaways through 40 minutes, and they held Washington’s forwards to just two shots.
Vegas carried a 2-0 lead and a 28-9 lead in shots into the third period.
It didn’t take long for Vegas to extend that lead.
In fact, Mark Stone made it 3-0 just 49 seconds in. Eichel made a behind-the-back pass from behind the net — à la Evgeny Kuznetsov — to set up Stone at the side of the crease.
It was Eichel’s third point of the night, giving him back-to-back games with a goal and two assists.
The Golden Knights’ relentless play continued well into the third period, as Vegas led 6-1 in scoring chances, 14-4 in shot attempts and 5-2 in shots through the first 10 minutes.
But Washington made a push in the second half.
With the goalie pulled, the Capitals had extended zone time and were able to break through, ending Thompson’s shutout bid. It was Tom Wilson who scored on a one-timer from the slot at 6-on-5 to make it a 3-1 game with 3:14 remaining.
However, Paul Cotter made a smart bank pass to set up Marchessault for the empty-net goal with two minutes remaining to seal the win.
It would appear that Vegas’ scoring slump is a thing of the past, as the Golden Knights have scored four goals in three straight games, going 2-0-1 in that stretch.
Not only that, but the Golden Knights’ entire game seems to have come back to life.
Everything changed when Vegas scored two late goals in the third period against Edmonton. Though the Golden Knights didn’t win the game, it felt like a win to come away with a point, and the Golden Knights have been firing on all cylinders since.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy said that the intermission discussion ahead of that third period is when things changed. Cassidy said other teams were using the defending Stanley Cup champions as a measuring stick, but the Golden Knights needed to get back to their game.
“I think the key word for us is ‘defending,'” Cassidy said. “We’re defending until someone takes it from us, but this year everyone feels they’re good enough to win too. So let’s get back to the moment and be that team. Enjoy being the defending champs, but let’s keep working on being the repeating champs. And I think there was just a little bit of a mindset shift on that for us in Edmonton when we talked about that, and I think you’re seeing now the result of that.”
The result is back-to-back 4-1 wins fueled by complete efforts.
“I think there’s been a lot of really good things that we’ve done as a group,” Eichel said. “I think we’re defending well; it’s leading to offense. We’ve created plays out of our O-zone cycle. Obviously, we’ve always been a good rush team; it’s something that we pride ourselves on. And special teams has been better. Of course, the last two games, we’ve liked our game.”
Cassidy attributed the win to a combination of Vegas’ strong checking game, consistent puck possession in the offensive zone and discipline.
Stone zeroed in on execution.
“I think the structure’s been there all year; it’s allowed us to stay in games,” Stone said. “We didn’t stray from it. That’s what allowed us to get some overtime points and some greasy wins when we weren’t playing our best, and now we’re starting to finish some plays. We started on time most of that last road trip, we just didn’t execute, and now we’re executing and getting the lead. We’re a tough team when we play with the lead.”
In the last 13 games, the Golden Knights have scored first six times; Vegas has come away with at least one point in five of those six games, going 4-1-1.
There are a number of factors that have contributed to Vegas’ back-to-back 4-1 wins, but one thing that is very clear is that Cassidy’s decision to put Eichel on a line with Stone was a shrewd one.
In the last two games, Eichel has recorded six points after managing just three in his previous six games.
“He’s a driver,” Cassidy said. “The drivers of teams, when they’re on, they pull everyone along, because that’s what they do. They’re just those special guys. And he’s found some chemistry with Stoney.”
As Eichel put it, though, Stone “is a world-class player” in his own right.
“He’s just so smart, he makes so many little plays,” Eichel said. “He gets so many pucks back. When you’re playing against him, you gotta be really careful trying to put the puck around him or through him, and he extends so many shifts for us. Obviously, with his size and strength and his length, he’s able to hold on to a lot of pucks down low, and allows [Ivan Barbashev] and I to get open.”
Eichel, Stone and Barbashev were responsible for both 5-on-5 goals against Washington and have combined for 11 points in the last two games, though two of Eichel’s points came on the power play.
With Adin Hill out with an injury, Jiri Patera was recalled and backed up Thompson, who didn’t face a ton of action, with just nine saves through two periods. However, he made timely saves to prevent Washington from getting back in the game early. He was 3:14 away from a shutout but had no chance on Wilson’s late goal.
“I don’t get shutouts,” he joked after the game. “It’s always been my Achilles’ heel., so I’m just happy for the two points.”
Those two points bring Vegas’ season total to 36, which is the best in the NHL.
Vegas will have a home-and-home against St. Louis on Monday and Wednesday before facing Dallas on the road and then returning to Sin City for a four-game homestand.
Statistics courtesy of NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick.
(Photo of Golden Knights celebrating power-play goal: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)