Golden Knights Rout Blue Jackets in Matinee Game

The Vegas Golden Knights (43-21-6, 92 points) rolled over the Columbus Blue Jackets (21-41-7, 49 points) in their last matchup against an Eastern Conference opponent, winning 7-2. No lineup changes were made outside of Jiri Patera getting his first home start with the Golden Knights.

Patera got his first home win, Jack Eichel scored a hat trick, Alex Pietrangelo set a VGK record, and Reilly Smith extended his scoring streak.

FIRST PERIOD

• The Golden Knights started the game off strong with several offensive chances.
• Jiri Patera got into the game with a couple of good saves on Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine.
• VGK PP- Boone Jenner was called for tripping, giving the Golden Knights their first powerplay of the game.
• 1-0 VGK GOAL- On the powerplay, Pavel Dorofeyev fed a puck cross-ice to Phil Kessel for a tap-in goal.

• Jiri Patera fought off a shot from Patrik Laine and then snagged the loose puck to keep the game 1-0.
• The first period continued to be all Golden Knights, with the ice seemingly tilted in their favor.
• Emil Bemstrom went off on a breakaway but was stopped by Jiri Patera late in the period.
• Phil Kessel almost had his second goal of the game, trying to clean up a loose puck on the goal line.

SECOND PERIOD

• 1-1 CBJ GOAL- Patrik Laine and Erik Gudbranson set up Kirill Marchenko in front of the net, who scored.
• CBJ PP- A puck hit a Golden Knights player coming off the bench which resulted in a too-many-men penalty to the VGK.
• After a whistle for too many men, Mathieu Olivier collided with Brayden McNabb, sending the defenseman to the ice.
• The Blue Jackets turned the puck over to Jonathan Marchessault, who ripped a shot from the slot but was denied by Daniil Tarasov.
• A few shifts later, Phil Kessel similarly collected a loose puck and went in on a break. But he missed the net.
• Michael Amadio fed Brett Howden right next to the side of the net for a tap-in goal but he couldn't finish off the play.
• 2-1 VGK GOAL- With the Golden Knights struggling to convert on offense, Jack Eichel kept it simple, just shooting one on goal to score.

• VGK PP- Boone Jenner took down Ivan Barbashev, giving the Golden Knights another powerplay.
• 3-1 VGK GOAL- On the powerplay, Pavel Dorofeyev made a slick play to get a shot off quickly and score.

• 4-1 VGK GOAL- Brett Howden threw a puck to the net and with stellar hand-eye coordination, Zach Whitecloud swatted one in.

• 5-1 VGK GOAL- Jack Eichel once again threw a puck on goal and somehow scored off a wacky bounce.

• The Blue Jackets then made a goaltending change, swapping Daniil Tarasov with Michael Hutchinson.

THIRD PERIOD

• Up four goals, the Golden Knights coasted to a victory in the third period and bagged two points.
• 6-1 VGK GOAL- Paul Cotter added another after a pass from Chandler Stephenson.

• CBJ PP- Brett Howden was called for cross-checking, giving the Blue Jackets a powerplay.
• When tested, Jiri Patera continued to make big saves, such as a powerplay save on Patrik Laine.
• 7-1 VGK GOAL- Jack Eichel finished off the hat-trick scoring the first VGK HT at home this season.

• 7-2 CBJ GOAL- Liam Foudy scored with just over two minutes left to trim down the lead.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES

• Jiri Patera stopped 35 of 37 shots for his first career NHL home win with his parents in attendance. 
• With three goals, Jack Eichel scored the first home hat-trick for the Golden Knights this season.
• Fellow Silver Knight Pavel Dorofeyev had another strong game with two points. He now has five points in four games since being recalled. 
• The Golden Knights have finished up their regular-season schedule against the Eastern Conference going 22-8-2.
• Given Elvis Merzlinkins' injury, Jonathan Quick was the highest-paid goaltender for both teams in terms of cap hit at $2.9 million Sunday.
• With another goal, Zach Whitecloud has goals in back-to-back games for the Golden Knights.
• Reilly Smith extended his point streak to eight games, marking a new career-high (3-7-10 pts in 8 GP)
• With four assists, Alex Pietrangelo tied a Golden Knights record for most assists in a game by a defenseman.

VHN's Player of the Game: Jiri Patera.

There were too many players who had strong games offensively that we went with the ol' reliable AKA the goaltender.

Up Next: The Golden Knights will hit the road yet again, starting a three-game road trip that starts in Vancouver on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.