FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Blue Jackets – Game 18
Vegas Golden Knights (11-7) | Columbus Blue Jackets (9-6)
The Vegas Golden Knights once again came out with a sloppy first period but were able to come back and defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 3-2.
Laurent Brossoit started, Ben Jones played in his first NHL game, and Max Pacioretty could not return.
It was also Hockey Fights Cancer night. The Golden Knights wore special purple jerseys in warmups which were auctioned off during the game. Henderson Silver Knights head coach Manny Viveiros and Shea Theodore are notable members of the Golden Knights organization that have battled cancer.
In what has become a trend, the Golden Knight opened up the first period with a lackluster effort. Gustav Nyquist tipped in Jake Bean’s shot just 45 seconds in, and the Blue Jackets were up 1-0.
The Golden Knights found themselves down by two after a shorthanded goal from Alexander Texier, who danced around Mark Stone, the only man back for the Golden Knights, and scored.
The Blue Jackets pressured the Golden Knights breakouts on the wall, played a simple game, and led the shot department 13-7 after the first period. This is the sixth time the Golden Knights have given up at least two goals in the first period.
But the Golden Knights again regrouped and came out in the second period looking like a completely different team.
In the second period, the Golden Knights did a great job sustaining pressure and pounding on the Blue Jackets off the forecheck. They cut the lead midway through the period, with Keegan Kolesar scoring his first goal of the season. Late in the period, both Brett Howden and Alex Pietrangelo missed wide-open nets.
The Blue Jackets had a prime opportunity to regain their two-goal lead with Kolesar taking a tripping penalty. But the Blue Jackets’ defense on the powerplay collapsed and gave up three separate breakaways. Kolesar was denied coming out the box, and so was Chandler Stephenson.
But Reilly Smith was not denied as he scored his second shorthanded goal of the season and tied the game 2-2. Both teams scored shorthanded goals on the night, a rare occurrence.
Mattias Janmark was all over the ice for the Golden Knights Saturday night. He broke his career-high eight shots on goal and was an offensive weapon in every shift he had. He finally broke free in the third period and scored his first goal of the season to give the Golden Knights the lead.
Mark Stone is now the only forward on the Golden Knights’ current roster that does not have a goal this season. There were two separate four-on-four spurts, a goaltender pulled, and a late push from the Blue Jackets. But the Golden Knights were able to hold on and win 3-2.
“We’re finding ways to win,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “I can’t wait until we’re healthy and we can roll a full lineup out there. It’s going to be on those guys coming in to jump in and continue with the foundation we’re on right now.”
“It was a super resilient effort the last few games,” Reily Smith said. “Every game, there’s something else happening, a little more adversity. For guys to come in and be able to contribute, it’s the world for us right now.”
The Golden Knights finished their six-game homestand with a 5-1 record. VGK will now hit the road and try to continue to stay hot.
The Golden Knights will travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues Monday night. The puck drops at 5:00, and the game can be seen on AT&T SportsNet.
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-DJ Wood– Franchise Sports Media
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