On Monday Phil Kessel tied Keith Yandle to become the co-leader in consecutive NHL regular season games played at 989, and he undoubtedly relishes the fact that he played a role in defeating his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.
Phil Kessel gets announced as a starter the night he ties the NHL record for consecutive games played: pic.twitter.com/e9A3s9eRGq
— Ben Gotz (@BenSGotz) October 25, 2022
Kessel seemingly gave the Vegas Golden Knights a 1-0 lead early on in the game, and before he had a chance to hot dog it and bask in what would have been his 400th NHL goal, the Leafs challenged the play for offside, and the goal was taken off the board.
PHIL KESSEL GETS HIS 400TH NHL GOAL IN HIS NHL TYING 989TH NHL GAME AGAINST THE LEAFS! 🚨
pic.twitter.com/stRMOnk9j0— Nathan “Grav” (@NathanGraviteh) October 25, 2022
When the power play resumed, Kessel settled for an assist on Nicolas Roy’s first goal of the 2022-23 season, and the Golden Knights were off and running early.
😀 Nicolas Roy scores a power-play goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs to make it 1-0. @GoldenKnights #VegasBorn #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/CKRL2qvEH7
— Did VGK Score?! (@DidVGKScore) October 25, 2022
After 20:00 of play, the score was 1-0 in the home team’s favor, and the shots on goal battle was nearly even at 10-9 in favor of the visitors.
The second period saw Vegas control the play a little bit more, as they out-shot Toronto 12 to 7, but the Maple Leafs evened the score at 11:42 when William Nylander tallied his 4th goal of the season.
Vegas got another quick start in the final frame, as Chandler Stephenson needed just 42 seconds to put his team back in front, and it would remain that way for the remainder of the game.
😀 Chandler Stephenson scores against the Toronto Maple Leafs to make it 2-1. @GoldenKnights #VegasBorn #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/eSWaQ2yQ0F
— Did VGK Score?! (@DidVGKScore) October 25, 2022
Michael Amadio added an insurance marker at 8:11 to make it 3-1, and Logan Thompson stood tall at the end of the game when Toronto pulled their goalie while on the power play in an attempt to make a late comeback while down two goals.
Thompson had a pretty mild night stopping 19 of 20 at even strength, 3 of 3 while his team was shorthanded, and 22 of 23 overall, and it was a bit of an underwhelming showing from a Toronto team that’s got a number of offensive firepower upfront.
There was this sequence in which he made some key stops, and he certainly deserves credit for keeping Toronto off the board here.
Great overhead view of Logan Thompson’s desperation save on Auston Matthews on the goal line.
Now in his 5th game of the season, Thompson has stopped 122 of 131 (.931 SV%).
pic.twitter.com/UulnJiCyd1— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) October 25, 2022
The Golden Knights will certainly take a relatively light night and two points in the process, as they will be in action again on Tuesday. The contest will be against a San Jose Sharks squad that has struggled out of the gate, but anything can happen in the NHL, and the Golden Knights will have to come out as sharp as can be in the second game of a back to back.