LAS VEGAS — Trevor Connelly scored in the fifth round of a shootout on Thursday night, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs after erasing a three-goal deficit. Adin Hill slammed the door in the extra frames, denying John Tavares to seal the third consecutive win for Vegas.
Vegas Erases Early Deficit Behind Eichel and Hill
Toronto stunned the home crowd early by jumping out to a 3-0 advantage in the opening frame. Jack Roslovic opened the scoring just 34 seconds into his 600th career game, tucking the puck between Hill’s pads and the post for his 300th career point. Easton Cowan quickly doubled the lead on a breakaway at 3:20, and Nick Paul extended the cushion to three goals at 8:37.
Mark Stone ignited the home side’s response with a slap shot at 17:36 of the first period, beating Sergei Bobrovsky above the glove. That was a big moment of the game,
Vegas coach Ryan Craig said. ‘Stoney’ gets a big goal there for us. … We go to the intermission and started the same way we finished, which says something about the guys. They’re saying the right things. They’re prepared to go out and do the right things. They’ve been doing this for years. They know what they need to do.
Brett Howden drew within one just 1:12 into the second period, tapping in a feed from Mitch Marner. It’s a great play by everyone,
Marner explained, detailing how William Karlsson used speed to back up the defender before moving the puck. From there on, I just know both of them are driving the post, So really from there, I’m just trying to put one in an area for one of them to get a piece of it. Lucky enough to hit ‘Howie’ on the foot there.
Jack Eichel completed the comeback at 3:58 of the second by converting a penalty shot following a breakaway trip by Morgan Rielly. Eichel extended his season-opening point streak to five games, boasting three goals and 12 total points through that span. To see Jack go on fire, it’s fun to watch,
Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev told. He’s an outstanding player, and he’s a leader for us.
Bobrovsky Stands Tall as Maple Leafs Grab Road Point
Despite facing a relentless 43-shot barrage from the Golden Knights, Bobrovsky kept Toronto in the contest by stopping 40 shots. The Maple Leafs played their first road game of the season, earning a valuable standings point despite letting a comfortable lead slip away. It was a good hockey game,
Bobrovsky remarked. It’s a big point for us on the road against a good team. We had a good start then things kind of got away from us a little bit. Still, it’s hockey, it’s the NHL and it’s a good league. They’re a really good team. So, it’s again, it’s a big point for us, and we just move on with our game and keep building.
Toronto’s lineup featured a few adjustments heading into the matchup. Head coach Jim Hiller promoted Easton Cowan to the top-six alongside Tavares and William Nylander, while rookie Gavin McKenna joined Nick Paul and Colton Sissons on the third line. Sissons squared off against his former Golden Knights teammates for the first time since signing a two-year deal with Toronto over the summer.
For Tavares, watching young teammates experience milestones added significance to the night. It was awesome,
Tavares said regarding McKenna’s first NHL point, noting that the youngster has been staying with him and his family. Moments like that are really special. It’s been amazing just getting to know him, and obviously having him stay with me and my family has been a blast. Seeing each step of the way, just going through everything for the first time, and obviously get your first point, get on the scoreboard, see his first goal. Obviously, a great game and a big comeback win.
Connelly Decides Game in Shootout Victory
With regulation and overtime solving nothing, the game headed to a shootout. Braeden Bowman also converted for Vegas in the tiebreaker, while Kirill Marchenko provided Toronto’s lone shootout goal. Connelly ultimately decided the contest in the fifth round by beating Bobrovsky with a slick backhand-forehand deke before Hill shut down Tavares.
Vegas outshot the visitors 43-24 but finished 0 for 4 on the power play, marking the first time this season the Golden Knights failed to convert with the man advantage. Hill finished the night with 21 saves and stopped four of five shootout attempts.
The Maple Leafs travel to face Colorado on Saturday, while the Golden Knights return to home ice to host Los Angeles on the same night.
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