Blog: Jonathan Marchessault hat trick helps Golden Knights complete comeback against Devils

By Justin Emerson

Published Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 | 2:59 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 | 7:14 p.m.

The Golden Knights were clearly waiting for the third period to start to let loose their scoring. And it was all one player.

Jonathan Marchessault scored third-period natural hat trick, and Vegas turned a third-period deficit into a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Tuesday.

Marchessault's first two goals were deflections, first taking a William Karlsson centering try off his skate, then later a Deryk Engelland shot off the stick. They were his sixth and seventh of the season, and first since Nov. 16.

Then he added his third of the night with a little more finesse, dropping low on the power play and whipping it into the net as a few hats made their way onto the Prudential center ice.

The Golden Knights played from behind almost all game. The Devils scored in the first period after controlling play for all of it, and New Jersey looked less like a team that got whacked last night and more like one facing a team who traveled across the country for the game. Kyle Palmieri scored at 16:31 to start the scoring.

The Golden Knights got one back in the second from the new guy. Chandler Stephenson scored his first goal as a Golden Knights in his first game with the team, depositing an Alex Tuch feed into the net.

New Jersey got it back before the period ended, coming up on the right end of a goaltending interference call to hep Jesper Bratt give the Devils a 2-1 lead. That was the score when the period ended, setting up Marchessault's big third period. Nico Hischier scored 20 seconds after Marchessault finished the hat trick, bringing the game back to one goal at 4-3.

The Golden Knights picked up the victory despite trailing in shots on goal 35-30.

Newest Golden Knight scores, but Vegas trails Devils after 2

The second was better period for the Golden Knights, but a goal from each side kept them in the one-goal deficit they had going into the frame, and trailed the New Jersey Devils 2-1.

It took just more than a period for the Golden Knights new guy to get acclimated. Chandler Stephenson hopped off the bench to join the play, took a cross-ice feed from Alex Tuch and blasted it into the net to tie the game at 5:24 of the second. Tomas Nosek made a good play at the blue line to keep the puck alive, and was rewarded with the secondary assist.

The game opened up a bit after that. Travis Zajac blasted a slap shot from the point and former Golden Knight Nikita Gusev had a good attempt on the rebound. Then Jonathan Marchessault had a partial break down the right wing that Mackenzie Blackwood gloved down.

The Devils caught a break at 14:17 of the period, when Jesper Bratt fired into an empty Vegas net. Why is what empty though upset the Golden Knights. Taylor Hall skated in front of the crease and made contact with Paul Stastny, then fell into Malcolm Subban. Vegas challenged for goaltender interference, but it looked like Stastny bumped Hall into Subban, and the goal counted to put the Devils up 2-1.

New Jersey led in shots on goal 28-17 after two.

Poor start puts Golden Knights in early hole to Devils

The Golden Knights almost looked like they were going to escape the first period with no damage done. They were badly outplayed by the New Jersey Devils, and almost got away with it.

Vegas conceded a late goal to Kyle Palmieri in the first period Tuesday, and went into the first intermission trailing 1-0 at Prudential Center on Tuesday.

Other than Deryk Engelland hitting the post, there wasn't much action in the New Jersey zone for the period. The Devils had as many shots during a Vegas power play than the Golden Knights did and had just two of the game's first nine shots.

There was however plenty of injured players. First Ryan Reaves went to the room after blocking a shot. Then Miles Wood needed help getting off the ice after landing awkwardly from a Jon Merrill hit. Then William Carrier sent Matt Tennysno to the room after a boarding penalty.

Carrier's penalty led to the first New Jersey power play of the night. The Devils had an early flurry of chances, but Vegas killed it off.

Vegas' best play of the frame came moments before the Palmieri goal. Taylor Hall slipped around behind the defense and found himself with nothing but ice between himself and Malcolm Subban, but Subban's blocker prevented any damage.

The Palmieri breakaway wouldn't be denied. This one came as a result of a bad defensive change, and Palmieri beat Subban glove side at 16:31.

New Jersey led in shots on goal 17-7 after one.

Chandler Stephenson makes Golden Knights debut against Devils

The Golden Knights have a new player at their disposal tonight.

Chandler Stephenson of the Washington Capitals heard he had been traded Monday, jumped on a red-eye flight from the West Coast and joined the Golden Knights in New Jersey this morning. He'll make his Vegas debut on the fourth line when the Golden Knights take on the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center at 4 p.m.

"It happened so fast that you don't really have time to sit and think about anything," Stephenson said. "I'm just happy to be here and get things going right off the bat."

Vegas acquired Stephenson in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. He can play center or wing and won't get any sort of breaking-in period as coach Gerard Gallant said he expects to play him on the penalty kill as well.

"Systems aren't a big deal. Sure there will be a couple little tweaks and things that he'll have to learn from our system, but overall he'll be fine out there," Gallant said. "If you work hard, you'll make up for the systems you don't know."

Stephenson's biggest connection to Vegas came when he helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup at T-Mobile Arena in 2018. He also played with Nate Schmidt in Washington for two seasons and trains with Brayden McNabb during the summer.

The Golden Knights' win over the Rangers Monday night was their third in a row and the first time they have a strung a trio of victories together this season.

They take on a struggling New Jersey team today that fired coach John Hynes hours before the game.

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights minus-150, Devils plus-130; over/under: 6.5 (EVEN, minus-120)

Golden Knights (14-11-4, 32 points) (7-6-1 road), third place, Pacific Division

Coach: Gerard Gallant (third season)

Points leader: Max Pacioretty (25)

Goals leaders: Reilly Smith, Mark Stone (11)

Assists leaders: Max Pacioretty (16)

Expected goalie: Malcolm Subban (3.09 GAA, .901 save percentage)

Devils (9-13-4, 22 points) (5-7-0 home), eighth place, Metropolitan Division; ninth place, Wild Card

Interim coach: Alain Nasreddine (first game)

Points leaders: Taylor Hall (21)

Goals leaders: Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri (9)

Assists leaders: Taylor Hall (17)

Expected goalie: Mackenzie Blackwood (3.12 GAA, .898 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty—Paul Stastny—Mark Stone

William Carrier—Cody Glass—Alex Tuch

Tomas Nosek—Chandler Stephenson—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt

Nicolas Hague—Shea Theodore

Jon Merrill—Deryk Engelland

Goalies

Malcolm Subban, Garret Sparks