Subban, Golden Knights penalty kill the difference against Devils

By Justin Emerson

Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019 | 5:31 p.m.

The last time the Golden Knights met the New Jersey Devils, Vegas scored three first-period goals, only to fall apart and lose in overtime.

It didn’t take overtime, but the Golden Knights flipped the script on Sunday.

The Devils scored twice on their first five shots, then the Golden Knights took over and rode 33 consecutive saves from Malcolm Subban and two late penalty kills to a 3-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

“We were definitely the better team for most of the game so I think we deserved this one,” Subban said. “Tough start there with a couple goals, but the boys rallied back and persevered and I didn’t too much the rest of the game.”

Perhaps it was the nerves of playing at home, something Subban has not done since March 30, 2018, but Subban was not on his game early. He allowed a goal to Nico Hischier five minutes into the game, then looked foolish when Ben Lovejoy twisted him into a pretzel and fired home New Jersey’s second goal just shy of the first period’s midway point.

But Subban was terrific from that point onward, including 20 saves in the third period. Most of the final 3:22 was played on the penalty kill, and Subban made six saves in that time to lock down the win.

“We didn’t help him a whole lot in the first, we were a little sluggish,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “From there he was rock-solid.”

McNabb was a key player in Sunday’s win as well, scoring the game-tying goal in the second, and making multiple defensive plays to squash New Jersey scoring chances. He was also out there on the late penalty kills to put the game away.

“For me, it’s a lot of fun, I enjoy that part, especially at the end of the game,” McNabb said.

It wasn’t the three-goal comeback the Devils engineered in new Jersey on Dec. 14, but the Golden Knights will take a comeback win, particularly against another fast team like the Devils.

Three of the four games between these two teams over the last two years have been decided by one goal, with a total of 25 goals. They both like to move the puck and fire it on net, a stark contrast to a team like the Los Angeles Kings, who like to slow it down and against whom the Golden Knights have played four times in the last month.

Vegas expected the Devils to come out fast, and coach Gerard Gallant said after the game New Jersey did exactly what he wanted the Golden Knights to do.

“I thought the first period, they came out and played a perfect road game,” Gallant said. “Everything I talk about ­— being first on pucks, being competitive — they definitely did that.

After that the Golden Knights did exactly what they wanted to do, and skated off the ice with their sixth win in a row.