Fan-favorite ‘Reavo’ revs Golden Knights past Ducks to extend win streak

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 | 11:30 p.m.

Usually known for administering the biggest hits in any given game, Ryan Reaves was instead on the receiving end of a collision that nearly knocked him off his feet Saturday night – and it came from his own teammate.

After the Vegas Golden Knights’ winger scored his first goal of the season in the second period against the Anaheim Ducks, Cody Eakin blindsided him with a celebratory tackle against the boards.

“He came in hot, eh?” Reaves said as he cracked a smile. “I wasn’t done with my (celebration). I was going to do something for Shaq, but was too slow I guess.”

NBA great Shaquille O’Neal, who encouraged the Golden Knights on their way out to the ice and then sat rink side, will have to settle for witnessing a Reaves-led 3-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena. He caught the Golden Knights at their best, as Coach Gerard Gallant said the win surpassed a home stand-opening win over the Sabres on Tuesday as the team’s finest performance of the year.

Although they only scored twice on John Gibson — the final score came on an empty net by Jonathan Marchessault with 16 seconds left — the Golden Knights peppered the NHL’s hottest goalie with a season-high 44 shots. Reaves was an unlikely source to regularly lead the attack.

He had three high-quality opportunities, forcing Gibson to make plays on two occasions in between his score off of a rebound from a hard Nick Holden shot.

The bench and crowd erupted as much as Holden and Eakin, the pair that picked up assists on the goal, in a manner that’s reserved for a fan favorite like Reaves.

“He’s got it, man. That’s all,” linemate William Carrier said of Reaves. “I’m happy he’s on my side, and I don’t have to get hit by him.”

Reaves added a game-high seven hits on a night Vegas evened its record at 4-4 by winning its third straight contest. He also received another pair of ovations in the third period, first for drawing a penalty on Pontus Aberg and then for getting in a skirmish with Ryan Getzlaf in front of the Ducks’ net.

His goal was a culmination of sorts for a fourth line that’s created chances all season for the Golden Knights, but had yet to cash in on one. Alongside Carrier and Pierre Edouard-Bellemare, Reaves’ unit — which wasn’t on the ice for his goal because it came directly after a power play — has drawn widespread praise.

“Fun to see them get rewarded,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “They’ve been our best line this year.”

That’s highly debatable, if only because of Marchessault himself. The first-line wing padded team highs with not only his fifth goal against the Ducks but also his seventh and eighth point.

Vegas’ first score came when William Karlsson redirected a Marchessault wrister on a power play with 13 seconds remaining in the first period. Gibson had turned away Vegas’ first 15 shots on goal before the Marchessault-Karlsson connection beat him.

Gallant estimated that the Golden Knights played well enough to get seven or eight goals against a more human netminder.

“We’re talking about the best goalie, one of the best goalies in the league,” Gallant said. “He’s been great all season long.”

Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury faced far fewer shots, requiring only 17 saves to pick up the win because of the strong defensive effort in front of him. Gallant said it was the kind of night that could be tricky for a goalie, however, as they're taken out of their rhythm from not seeing much action.

That may have been part of the reason for Anaheim’s lone goal, at 1:24 of the third period when Ben Street skated in from the side and powered the puck in, but Fleury bore down from there. The Ducks kept up their aggression and had their best period in the third, but Fleury stuffed all their shots.

“The m.o. of this team the last two years is we respond after a bad shift or goal,” Reaves said. “We came out and responded.”

The resilience enabled one last big moment from Reaves. After being announced as the first star of the game, he yelled into the microphone and thanked the 18,375 fans as they filed out of the arena for giving the team an edge.

It was another change of pace, as Reaves is usually the one being acknowledged for his energy.

“Reavo is a character person in our group,” Gallant said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.