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Golden Knights Notebook

Golden Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault Latest To Re-Discover Scoring

Jack Eichel? Check. Reilly Smith? Check. Chandler Stephenson? Check. 

Ever since their return from the All-Star Break, the Vegas Golden Knights have seen their top scorers…

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Jack Eichel? Check. Reilly Smith? Check. Chandler Stephenson? Check. 

Ever since their return from the All-Star Break, the Vegas Golden Knights have seen their top scorers all end scoring slumps. It took him a few more games than the others, but now forward Jonathan Marchessault is back. His two-goal performance helped the VGK defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 Saturday.

"Yeah, that's probably the longest I have went (without scoring). But you just have to move on. You know, it's on to the next game. We're gonna enjoy this one until midnight tonight and try to get better tomorrow," said Marchessault.

The team has now won five-straight games and three at home after they limped into the All-Star Break. Without Mark Stone, the remaining star players have now stepped up and the Golden Knights continue to lead the Pacific Division in the standings.

"I always think we'll score in that room. Even though it didn't look like it for a stretch there at home and then going into the break. But there's a lot of talent in that room and it'll eventually come around. Now you're starting to see it. Jack Eichel and Smitty (Reilly Smith) get going. Now you see Marchy (Jonathan Marchessault). So everyone's starting to find their game out there," said head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Marchessault already broke his 13-game goal drought with a goal in the first period. But he added another in the opening frame.

However, this one was more controversial as Marchessault deflected a shot from Shea Theodore and then got his own rebound to score.

The debate around this goal was whether or not the play should have been whistled down for a high stick after Marchessault's initial deflection. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper challenged the play, but the goal stood after a lengthy review.

The explanation that was given was that since the goal was not scored off the initial tip, the crossbar was not the area of reference for height, rather Marchessault's shoulders. Marchessault's stick was above the crossbar on the goal, but since he did not score off the deflection, this doesn't matter.

So the new area of reference is Marchessault's shoulders. As long as the puck hit his stick in an area that was below his shoulders, the play would remain alive and thus the goal would have counted.

"I thought my stick was around my shoulders and it hit the bottom part of it. I jut got a little taller since the last time I was in Tampa, so they didn't know that," said the 5-foot-9 Marchessault. 

"At first it looks like 'okay, this one might be coming back, that challenge was so quick' and then you start looking at it, and sometimes I'm thinking 'Well is it above the crossbar? His stick? But that is if the puck goes in the net. So now it's his shoulder and now I'm like, well, you know, he's only like five (foot)… I was just happy he stuck around the front of the net to get a greasy goal," Cassidy added. 

The Golden Knights will now journey to Chicago to play the Blackhawks at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.