The New Jersey Devils made a matinee game a dog fight, but the Vegas Golden Knights still got the job done, winning 3-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Nico Hischier was a player to watch heading into the contest as he had five points in the previous five games. He put New Jersey on the board with a wrist shot just past the five-minute mark to go six in six.
Before the game, Vegas’ broadcasters mentioned taking away the neutral zone from New Jersey would be key. Tomas Nosek failed to do this after a hit from Blake Coleman, which set up Hischier.
Nosek suffered déjà vu as he was later separated from the puck in the neutral zone, this time by Brett Seney. This set up Ben Lovejoy, who made it 2-0 for the Devils. Still, the resilient Knights did not go quietly.
Not long after Lovejoy’s goal, though, Ryan Reaves tallied his eighth goal of the season — a new career-high for the 31-year-old.
Vegas evened things up thanks to Braden McNabb’s first goal of the year, which came on a delayed penalty to the Devils. The goal was initially waived off due to goaltender interference by Ryan Carpenter, but the decision was overturned.
The Knights haven’t scored a power-play goal since Dec. 27 against the Colorado Avalanche, so perhaps it’s a good thing McNabb scored before the Knights began the man advantage.
Max Pacioretty had the game-winner against the Anaheim Ducks. He followed up by giving the team their first lead against the Devils off a deflected shot from leading scorer Alex Tuch which sealed the deal.
The star late in the game, though, was netminder Malcolm Subban. No. 30 shook off the rough first period and stepped up in a huge way, stopping 20 shots while Vegas’ offense was limited to just six in the third period. His first win on home ice follows a near-perfect 30-save showing against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 29.
This six-game winning streak is a season-high for the Golden Knights. The victory keeps the Knights atop the Pacific Division and Western Conference while Vegas remains tied with the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the league overall (56 points).