Golden Knights Blow Past Blackhawks, Score Three in Third Period

The Vegas Golden Knights (44-20-8) have won five in a row. They were lucky to escape Chicago with the win; Friday’s victory was ugly, but a win is worth two points in the standings regardless of how it looked. The Golden Knights entered the third period down one but scored three unanswered to beat the Chicago Blackhawks (21-43-9) 5-3.

This game wasn’t one to write home about; it took the Golden Knights nearly 50 minutes to establish themselves. They were caught flat-footed on more than one occasion, resulting in several Blackhawks breakaways. 

The low-event sloppiness continued into the second period. The Golden Knights weren’t able to get to their game. They didn’t look bad, but they did look a little uninspired. They were a step behind, a little slow, and soft on pucks.

The Blackhawks took the lead on a breakaway late in the first period. Ethan Del Mastro fired a stretch pass right up the gut and connected with Ryan Donato, who was in behind Noah Hanifin and Zach Whitecloud. Adin Hill saved Donato’s first shot but couldn’t stop his second effort.

Breakdowns and quick succession goals were the story of the second period. Mark Stone received a cross-ice pass from Ivan Barbashev and tied the game with a deceptive shot that snuck through Spencer Knight’s five-hole.

Less than a minute later, the Golden Knights took the lead. Victor Olofsson forced a turnover, banked a pass to himself, and sent a backhand pass to Keegan Kolesar. Kolesar sent it right back; Olofsson entered the zone and chipped a pass to William Karlsson. Karlsson drove the net and fed Olofsson for a back door tap-in. 

The Blackhawks pulled even at 16:14 in the second period. On a delayed penalty, Ryan Donato received a cross-ice pass from Joe Veleno and fired an absolute beauty of a wrister over Adin Hill’s shoulder.

Fifteen seconds later, Donato completed his first career hat trick to give the Blackhawks the lead. Connor Bedard entered the zone with the puck and threaded a pass to Ilya Mikheyev through Shea Theodore and Brett Howden. Mikheyev passed to Donato, who blasted a one-timer past Hill.

William Karlsson sent a bank pass to Reilly Smith, who entered the zone, pulled up, and sent a cross-ice pass to Victor Olofsson. Olofsson settled the puck and went off the post and in to beat Spencer Knight far side.

With around 10 minutes remaining in the third period, the Golden Knights finally began to take over the game. They won puck battles and finally generated the sustained offense you’d expect from them. 

With 4:03 remaining in the third period, Mark Stone drew a penalty and sent the Golden Knights to the man advantage. They continued their power play dominance; Noah Hanifin sent a pass to Pavel Dorofeyev, who beat Spencer Knight far side with a rocket of a one-timer.

The Blackhawks pulled Spencer Knight for the extra attacker but never posed a threat. Mark Stone forced a turnover, and Brett Howden hit the empty net for the dagger.

Golden Knights Game Notes

The Golden Knights took the season series against the Blackhawks two games to one. The Blackhawks took the first meeting, but the Golden Knights won the next two. Neither win was particularly impressive. 

The Golden Knights didn’t look great on Friday, but the mark of a good team is that they can win ugly games. It’s been a little while since the Golden Knights won a game in which they didn’t play well. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than a month away, winning a game like this is big. 

Victor Olofsson’s first goal broke a 20-game goalless drought. 

“It’s definitely nice to get a couple here,” said Olofsson. “Like I told you at intermission, I hadn’t scored in a while, so it definitely helps the confidence and gives me a good boost going forward.”

With 10 games left in the regular season, Jack Eichel is nine points away from 100.

Keegan Kolesar’s assist on Victor Olofsson’s first goal of the night was the 100th point of his career.

Pavel Dorofeyev’s game-winning goal was his 31st of the season, tying Tomáš Hertl for the team lead.

At a glance, Adin Hill’s stats aren’t attractive. He finished the game with a .857 save percentage and allowed three goals on 21 shots. Contrary to how the box score looks, he was very good. He saved two or three clean breakaway attempts and stood on his head after Victor Olofsson tied the game in the third period. If Hill was less than great on Friday, the score could have easily been 6-4, Blackhawks.

Even without Tomáš Hertl, this powerplay is seriously good. Their movement is crisp, they don’t force anything, and every player poses a unique threat.

Three stars of the game: Ryan Donato, Victor Olofsson, William Karlsson