FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Canucks - Game 20 - 2022

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Canucks – Game 20 – 2022

Franchise Sports Media

Vegas Golden Knights (15-4-1)  | Vancouver Canucks  (6-10-3)

Alex Pietrangelo and William Carrier help the Golden Knights score three straight goals in the third period to rally for a comeback win on the road to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4.

Getting a road win is never easy in the NHL, especially when you are down by multiple goals. But overcoming that task says a lot about your team’s ability to handle adversity.

That ability was proven last night by the Vegas Golden Knights, playing in their second and final road trip against the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena. 

The Canucks, who are currently in 7th place in the Pacific division and 31st overall on penalty kills, did not seem like a threat to the Golden Knights, but playing on the road and getting a win in Vancouver is not an easy task.

Logan Thompson returned as the starting goaltender with a save percentage of .920, opposite Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko. He ended the night with 25 saves. Last night’s game was also a milestone for Jonathan Marchessault, marking his  500th regular-season NHL game. Now in his 10th season, the 31-year-old center suited up for Columbus, Tampa Bay, and Florida before Vegas selected him in the 2017 expansion draft.

To say that the game started wackily is an understatement. After a scoreless first period, the Canucks went on the board first from Andrei Kuzmenko, giving Vancouver the lead of 1-0. However, the Knights took the lead in the second-period scoring twice within less than a minute. Mark Stone and William Carrier each scored goals that were deflected from Jack Eichel to give VGK the lead 2-1.

Big turn of events in the third period, as both teams would trade goals throughout.

The Knights went into the third period with the lead, but it would not last long when Bo Horvat would score to tie the game at 2-2, a minute and 47 seconds into the third period.

But the fury goals would continue throughout the period for the Canucks as they scored two more. The first was from Luke Schenn after a point shot into traffic that deflected in off Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague. That gave the Canucks the lead of 3-2. Then, Elias Patterson knocked in his rebound at 6:11 to make it 4-2.

With the Knights down 4-2 in the middle of the third, it seemed that a comeback was somewhat impossible, but Vegas was primed to show that they could overcome some adversity. William Carrier would be the first to spark the team when he scored his second goal of the night on a rebound to cut the Vancouver lead to one, making the score 4-3. It was his first 2-goal night this season.

Then Reilly Smith would tie the game 4-4 after jamming the puck in from the side of the net in front of Thatcher Demko. Later at the 10:08 mark of the third, Mark Stone would score and give Vegas back the lead 5-4, but  Vancouver challenged successfully for game stoppage because the puck hit a lens in the camera hole in the corner 14 seconds earlier.

The reverse call did not stop the Knights at all from finishing their job. Alex Pietrangelo became the hero for the VGK after finishing off a passing play from Stone and Chandler Stephenson just over four minutes later with a shot between Demko’s pads to make it 5-4, completing the comeback and giving the Knights the victory.

“A lot of emotions, obviously we score, and then it gets taken back, but I’ll tell you what, it’s not easy to win on the road, and you’ve got to give credit to our group,” Pietrangelo said. “We were resilient no matter what happened. I don’t think we wavered after that disallowed goal, got right back at it.”

The Golden Knights will begin their 3-game home stand at The Fortress when they play against the Ottawa Senators at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday. They are scheduled to drop the puck at 7:00 pm. The game can be seen on TNT (channel 245 on Cox Cable) or AT&T Sports Net (channel 313 on Cox Cable) or heard on 98.9 FM, FOX Sports Las Vegas 1340 AM.