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Golden Knights sweep road trip with 4-3 overtime victory over Oilers

Posted on by Jillian Wagner

The Vegas Golden Knights collected another two critical points with a 4-3 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Nicolas Roy scored the game-winning goal 2:26 into extra time in a game in which Vegas never trailed. Vegas also got goals from Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev and Jonathan Marchessault.

Laurent Brossoit got his first start in a month. Aside from one tough moment, Brossoit was excellent, stopping 27 of 30 shots for a .900 save percentage and his second win of the year. All four of his starts this season have gone to extra time (2-0-2).

The Golden Knights were without Reilly Smith and Logan Thompson, the latest to join Vegas’ growing list of injuries; Alec Martinez also did not dress for personal reasons. Keegan Kolesar was back in the lineup after missing six games, and Ben Hutton filled in for Martinez on the back end. Kolesar recorded one shot, one block and five hits in 10:05, while Hutton was credited with four blocks in 13:30.

For the fourth game in a row, the Golden Knights got on the board first, extending their record to 11-0-0 when scoring first this month.

Both teams scored on their first shot of the game.

First, Eichel gave Vegas a 1-0 lead just 1:01 into the contest.

But Zach Hyman responded 2:27 later, capping off an excellent shift by Leon Draisaitl, who knocked down a Vegas pass in the neutral zone, protected the puck along the wall, drove to the net and completed the tic-tac-toe passing play that resulted in Hyman’s tap-in.

With 3:33 remaining in the opening frame, the Golden Knights took their second lead of the night, as Dorofeyev scored on the power play. It was his fifth goal in seven games since returning from injury.

But the Oilers’ power play — the best in the NHL — was on full display in the second period, as Connor McDavid and Draisaitl combined for the tally that beat Brossoit five-hole. It was the only goal of the frame.

The Golden Knights and Oilers were tied at 2-2 through 40 minutes.

The third period, however, was one of Vegas’ most convincing efforts of the season and a true statement performance by a team that’s now just one win shy of a playoff berth.

The energy was sky-high for the Golden Knights, who came out flying to start the frame; Brossoit matched that intensity with several clutch saves early.

Nearly seven minutes in, the Golden Knights broke through, as Marchessault gave Vegas its third lead of the game with his 24th of the season. The top line capitalized on the rush, as Eichel demonstrated great vision and patience, Ivan Barbashev’s center-lane drive opened the seam and Marchessault finished with a one-timed blast.

But the Golden Knights’ one-goal lead was neutralized for a third time.

It was Brossoit’s only misstep of the night, as he failed to make a straightforward save on Warren Foegele’s wrist shot. Brossoit got a piece of it, but the puck got through, making it a 3-3 game at 11:19.

To his credit, Edmonton netminder Stuart Skinner made several big saves of his own in the third period to keep his team in the game. Ultimately, the contest required overtime.

For the fourth time in the game, Vegas was the first to light the lamp; this time, however, Edmonton didn’t have a chance to respond.

Eichel recorded his third point of the game when he found Roy all alone in front of the net. Roy’s initial attempt was kicked out by Skinner, but Roy used his long reach to put home the rebound for the game-winner.

Roy’s 13th of the season was his second game-winning goal in two games since returning to the lineup.

It was an impressive road win for the Golden Knights against a difficult opponent fighting for playoff position.

The difference in the game was Vegas’ effort in the third period. Though both teams scored, the Golden Knights were aggressive, hungry and relentless and played with a playoff-type energy. But for a very soft goal, the Golden Knights played well enough to win the game in regulation.

“In the third we were on top of pucks, kept plays alive in the o-zone. I thought we were the better team in the third period,” Bruce Cassidy said after the game. “Unfortunately, we fumbled the puck there on a tough bounce and they capitalized, but we stuck with it and it was a good road win.”

The Golden Knights made smart plays all night, and big-time players came up in big moments, as Eichel, Marchessault and Shea Theodore all had multi-point performances. Roy led the team with five shots on goal, including the one that put the stamp on Vegas’ 46th win of the season.

Yet again, Vegas benefited from strong goaltending, and Brossoit’s win made the Golden Knights the first team in NHL history to start four different goalies in four consecutive games and win all four (Brossoit, Logan Thompson, Jonathan Quick and Jiri Patera).

Quietly, Phil Kessel extended his point streak to four games with the secondary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play strike; Kessel has two goals and five points in that stretch.

The Golden Knights finished up the Western Canada road trip with a perfect 3-0-0 record; Vegas has now won seven consecutive road games, tying a franchise record.

With 98 points in 73 games, the Golden Knights now have a four-point lead over the red-hot Kings (who have a game in hand) and a seven-point edge over the Oilers.

The Golden Knights and Oilers will go head-to-head once again on Tuesday in Las Vegas. A win of any kind for the Golden Knights will punch their ticket to the postseason for the fifth time in six seasons.

Talking Points