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Golden Knights end skid with 4-1 victory against Coyotes

Posted on by Jillian Wagner

The Vegas Golden Knights snapped a two-game losing streak when they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-1 Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The Golden Knights scored three goals in the third period to wrap up their three-game homestand with a win, improving their overall record to 14-4-0.

It was another special milestone for Phil Kessel, who skated in his 1000th consecutive game after setting the ironman record with 990 consecutive games last month. He recorded three shots and registered one takeaway in 16:01, including 5:23 on the man advantage.

Logan Thompson surrendered one fluky goal in the third period but was otherwise perfect, stopping 25 of 26 shots for a .962 save percentage. He improves to 9-3-0 on the year.

After a scoreless opening frame, the Golden Knights got off to a rough start in the second period. Shea Theodore got caught on the ice for more than three minutes, and it was all Arizona early.

It was Vegas’ only real lull in an otherwise well-played game, but the Golden Knights struggled getting out of the defensive zone and got caught trying to carry the puck through the neutral zone on several occasions.

However, the Golden Knights turned things around later in the frame when Alex Pietrangelo opened the scoring at 12:21 with his second goal of the season.

Pietrangelo became the first Vegas defenseman to score on home ice this season, converting on Vegas’ third power play of the game.

He finished the game with a goal and two assists, giving him 17 points in 18 games this season.

Though Vegas held a narrow one-goal lead headed into the third period, another early-period goal helped the Golden Knights take hold of the momentum.

The fourth line came through once again, as William Carrier scored just 31 seconds into the frame.

It was a great move by Carrier, who held off and skated around the defender, drove hard to the net and delivered his fourth of the year.

Vegas extended its lead to 3-0 when Mark Stone batted a puck out of the air and into the net after going five games without lighting the lamp.

Thompson’s shutout bid was thwarted when the puck took a strange bounce, finding its way into the net to make it 3-1 with 8:31 remaining in the third period.

It was Clayton Keller, who had hit the post early in the second period, who managed to get one by Thompson off a bad-angle shot that got redirected.

But the Golden Knights ultimately got it back, as Reilly Smith scored his ninth goal of the season (just one shy of Jack Eichel’s team-high of 10).

Jonathan Marchessault forced a turnover in the corner, chased down the puck and found Smith, who ripped one from the slot past Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka.

The goal restored Vegas’ three-goal lead with just 64 seconds remaining in regulation.

It was a solid bounceback performance for the Golden Knights, who were coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

The Golden Knights had a strong night on special teams, scoring on the man-advantage and generating plenty of chances across five opportunities; plus, the Golden Knights killed off all four of Arizona’s power plays, including two late in the second period when it was a 1-0 game.

There was some reason for concern, as Nicolas Roy exited the game in the third period and did not return. However, Bruce Cassidy said after the game that it’s a lower-body aggravation, and that Roy should be able to play in Vegas’ next contest. That’s a big break for a Golden Knights team that has relied heavily on the fourth line’s energy and production.

The Golden Knights will be back on the road in Edmonton on Saturday before taking on the Canucks in Vancouver on Monday.

Talking Points