After losing a three-goal lead against the red-hot Nashville Predators to bring a points streak to an end, the Vegas Golden Knights bounced back and secured a hard-fought 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the first two of a four-game Central Division road trip.
During the game against the Jets, the physicality of the competition was apparent from the get-go with a brawl breaking out in the early part of the first period. The Jets were highly offensive and delivered 40 shots towards Golden Knights’ netminder Logan Thompson, who managed 39 saves.
Leading the team to victory, Anthony Mantha — who has accumulated five points in his last four games — assisted a game-winning back-hand shot from Ivan Barbashev against the Jets’ goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The team also saw contributions from Pavel Dorofeyev, who continued his run of scoring. There was controversy, however, when Golden Knight’s defenseman Nic Hague was initially given a major penalty for elbowing a Jets’ player but later reduced to a minor one after review by referees.
The encounter against the Jets followed a nail-biting match against the Nashville Predators. The Golden Knights had held a 4-1 lead in the third period, but the Predators managed to fight back and eventually win the match 5-4 in overtime. This was not enough to slow down the Knights, who had already established a healthy six-point lead over the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot.
Knights’ Coach, Bruce Cassidy, stated his affinity for tough games against playoff teams like the Jets, attributing their win to the team’s hard work and terrific saves from Thompson. As the Knights look ahead to their next two games in the Central Division, they aim to maintain their strong playoff standing and continue their positive trend upon tying LA Kings.
