Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Golden Knights rally late, steal 2 points against Chicago

VGK at Chicago, Jan. 12

Nuccio DiNuzzo / Associated Press

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore,top center, celebrates with teammates after his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Chicago.

The Golden Knights have never lost to the Chicago Blackhawks through two seasons. Saturday, you could argue, was the most notable win.

Paul Stastny scored with 4:04 remaining in regulation to tie the game, and Shea Theodore scored 1:19 into overtime to give Vegas a 4-3 road victory at United Center.

“We have that never-give-up attitude,” Theodore told ATT&T SportsNet. “We kind of lost our streak but we were looking to get back on it tonight and it’s good to do that.”

Ryan Carpenter and Alex Tuch also scored for the Golden Knights, who rebounded from Thursday’s loss to the Sharks, their first in regulation since Dec. 17.

Here are three takeaways from the victory:

The Golden Knights stole two points

Vegas had tough luck for part of the night, including Oscar Lindberg twice hitting the post on a shot in the span of about 20 seconds in the first period. And in the third period, Vegas appeared to tie the game with 6:58 remaining, but the referees ruled Pierre-Edouard Bellemare kicked the puck in, and the goal was pulled off the board.

But the Golden Knights found a way to win late. It was a statement game for Vegas, which showed it can when even it plays a less-than-perfect game.

“It was awfully cool, that’s for sure,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said to AT&T SportsNet. “It’s just the kind of thing you need when you’re trying to prove you’re a good team.”

Tuch riding high

Tuch’s second-period goal extended the forward’s point streak to nine games, the longest in Golden Knights’ history. He added an assist on Stastny’s goal.

He has three goals and 10 assists during the stretch, which dates back to Dec. 27 against Colorado. He has 37 points in 40 games this season, putting some distance between himself and forward Jonathan Marchessault, who has the second-most points on the team with 31.

Tuch signed a six-year extension before the season with an average annual value of $4.75 million. It kicks in next year, and if the 22-year-old continues to play like he has this season, it may turn out to be one of the more team-friendly deals in the league.

Showtime came to play

Chicago’s Patrick Kane is playing like it’s 2015-16. He won the Hart Trophy that year as the league’s most valuable player, and was the best player on the ice Saturday.

Kane’s night started with a disallowed goal after he swatted in a rebound, but replay showed the Blackhawks were offside on the zone entry. He made up for it with a power-play goal later in the first,

He showed his passing prowess as well in the second period on the power play. He diverted the Golden Knights’ penalty killers’ attention to him in the right circle, then fired a perfect pass across the ice to a wide-open Alex Debrincat, who finished a one-timer.

Kane has multiple points in four-straight games, and has 16 points in his last nine games.