The Vegas Golden Knights pulled off a stunning finish in a 2-1 win against the San Jose Sharks Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena.
William Carrier scored with just 18 seconds remaining in regulation to lift Vegas to victory, its fourth consecutive win since the All-Star break.
Paul Cotter also scored in the third period for Vegas, giving the Golden Knights seven third-period goals in their last two contests.
Adin Hill made 26 saves on 27 shots for a .963 save percentage as the Golden Knights secured the franchise’s 20th all-time win against San Jose.
It was all Vegas in the first period, as the home team outshot the visitors 14-4. However, it took Vegas more than 11 minutes to record a shot in the middle frame. The game remained scoreless for nearly two periods until Alexander Barabanov opened the scoring in the final three minutes of the second, cashing in on a rebound and lifting the puck over Hill’s pad.
Alexander Barabanov gets to the net and buries the rebound for his 10th goal of the year, Sharks lead!#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/hX9jXdNSLM
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) February 17, 2023
But the Golden Knights responded with a strong third-period effort.
Cotter scored on a 2-on-1, confidently sniping one short-side to even things up at 1-1 at 6:22.
Needed this one but we need another one even more 🤞 pic.twitter.com/07mpfNgYA0
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 17, 2023
The two clubs were 20 seconds away from overtime, but the Golden Knights had other plans as Chandler Stephenson found Carrier all alone for the backdoor tap-in.
now he’s William the Thrilliam 🥳 pic.twitter.com/EK82ah4ll4
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 17, 2023
It was Carrier’s seventh game-winning goal of the year and helped the Golden Knights maintain their lead in the Pacific Division.
Though Vegas picked up another two points, the Golden Knights’ power play was alarming. In fact, Vegas finished the game 0-for-7, which tied a franchise record for the worst power-play performance in a single game.
The Sharks entered the game with the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, but the Golden Knights had too many opportunities to justify their results on the man-advantage.
It’s an ongoing issue, as the Golden Knights have scored just one power-play goal since Jan. 12.
However, things continue to go in Vegas’ favor, including on the scoreboard. Plus, the Golden Knights’ shot suppression was in full effect in a dominant first period. Vegas outshot San Jose 38-26 on the night.
The third period became a goalie duel as the two netminders traded saves. Kahkonen was particularly stingy, shutting down several prime scoring chances on a Vegas power play and then robbing Shea Theodore late in the third.
Kahkonen simply denies the Vegas power play and keeps the game tied! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/TqviOeNEh5
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 17, 2023
Kaapo has no quit! 😲 pic.twitter.com/Z2kuXvNgTI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 17, 2023
It looked as though Vegas finally converted on the power play when a Nicolas Roy shot crossed the goal line, but the referee waived it off after ruling that Jonathan Marchessault pushed Kahkonen’s pad into the net.
Vegas’ effort was far from pretty, and the power play has to be addressed moving forward, but the Golden Knights were the better team for most of the night and have won four straight after losing four straight prior to the All-Star break.
Vegas will look to keep the streak alive Saturday against Tampa Bay.