NASHVILLE—The second leg of a back-to-back stretch of games has never been of much particular concern to the Vegas Golden Knights, outside of the obvious details surrounding a late arrival.
Just last season, the Golden Knights went 8-2-2 in the second game of back-to-backs. Such is life as a veteran group, well aware of the challenges the schedule presents and knowing how to best counteract it.
After a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday, the Golden Knights came in knowing they needed to find a spark.
And what a spark they got when finally ignited, as the Golden Knights turned a close game against the Nashville Predators into a comfortable 5-2 win on Tuesday.
Just under four minutes in, the Predators would get the home crowd going when a misplay of the puck by Vegas goaltender Adin Hill allowed Ryan O’Reilly to have an easy rebound chance to open the scoring.
The Predators would get an opportunity to extend the lead on the power play, but to no avail. Shortly after the successful penalty kill, the Golden Knights would get an opportunity with Raphael Lavoie having an open lane into the Nashville zone. He would find a trailing Tomas Hertl, who beat Predators goaltender Juuse Saros on a shot from distance to knot the game at one.
Another penalty kill would add to the momentum of the Golden Knights, with Brayden McNabb able to locate Jack Eichel crashing the net and centering the puck for a deflection that went into the net.
Eichel was credited with his fourth goal of the season, tied with Hertl for the most in Vegas.
Hill would hold up well for a long stretch, including a penalty shot save on Jack Drury. However, another mistake in the second period would open things up for the Predators, as he would overplay a breakaway attempt from Nashville forward Adam Edstrom. While Eichel did provide assistance, Edstrom was able to get around both him and Hill for a wraparound shot to tie the game once again.
Needing another spark in a period where the Predators were rolling, the Golden Knights relied on one of their best lines to get the momentum back on their side.
Working in the offensive zone after a breakout pass from Rasmus Andersson, the line of Brett Howden, Mitch Marner and William Karlsson picked their spot with just three minutes to go in the middle frame. Marner’s pass would give Karlsson a clean shooting lane, allowing him to beat Saros cleanly for goals in back-to-back games.
From there, the Golden Knights found a way to take over the game.
Just five minutes into the third, defenseman Noah Hanifin was able to corral a loose puck and finish off an offensive zone shift that hemmed the Predators in, threading the needle on a pass that found Trevor Connelly on a one-timer for the rookie’s third goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, Howden would find the scoresheet by deflecting an Andersson shot into the net.
From there, the Golden Knights kept the puck out of danger and were able to cruise to a win, a far cry from what was expected from the game to that point.
Outside of the two mistakes that lead to goals, Hill performed admirably in net, continuing his undefeated record this season at 3-0-0 with a 25-save outing.
The Golden Knights now head home with another divisional matchup looming on Thursday against a Calgary Flames team that is riding high after its first win against the Anaheim Ducks.