Blog: Golden Knights down Maple Leafs, win second straight

By Justin Emerson

Published Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 | 3 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 | 9:36 p.m.

It took a late penalty kill, an empty-net goal and one jaw-dropping save by Marc-Andre Fleury, but the Golden Knights held on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

It was Vegas' second win in a row after losing the previous five.

Down 1-0 in the third period, Toronto finally got on the board at 7:26 of the frame. Jason Spezza locked onto the target and nailed it, firing a laser high to the glove side to tie the game.

The tie game didn't last long. Tomas Nosek missed a breakaway attempt earlier in the game but made his second opportunity count. He stole the puck from Tyson Barrie at the blue line, then after allowing the puck to slide off his forehand in the first period, went to the backhand to beat Frederick Andersen and put Vegas up 2-1 just 41 seconds after Spezza's goal.

Then the Golden Knights put the nail in the coffin. The second power-play opportunity for Vegas went just as well as the first, and it only took 22 seconds of time with the extra man. Cody Glass got the pass over to Mark Stone, who did the rest, firing it glove side into a tight window for a 3-1 Vegas lead with 9:38 left in the game.

It was the first multi-point game of Glass' career after he had Vegas' first goal at 8:07 of the second, giving him nine points for the season, five of which have come on the power play.

Cody Eakin added an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left to ice the game.

Then Marc-Andre Fleury pulled off a save that will end up on his Hall of Fame highlight reel. It looked like Nic Petan had an open net to shoot at, but Fleury dove all the way across the crease like a baseball outfielder to make an unbelievable save.

Vegas led in shots on goal for the game 37-33.

Cody Glass puts Golden Knights up heading to third period

The Golden Knights broke through with the game's first, and so far only, goal in the second period and grabbed a 1-0 lead heading into the final frame against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Golden Knights had a terrific shift a third of the way through the period, pinning the Maple Leafs down and allowing a full line change without leaving the zone. It included Ryan Reaves hitting the post and Vegas drawing a penalty.

And on that power play is when the Golden Knights drew first blood. Nate Schmidt set up at the top of the point and dished to Max Pacioretty, who fired a slapper on net. The shot trickled through Toronto goalie Frederick Andersen, and Cody Glass was there to tap it in for his fourth of the year at 8:07.

Vegas seemed to find a recipe for success, keeping Toronto locked in its own zone late in the period. Vegas entered the zone with one group of forwards, getting a change for a second, and when the Maple Leafs iced it they got out a third.

It was a commanding period for the Golden Knights, keeping Toronto away from the dangerous areas of the ice. They led 17-8 in shots on goal for the period and 27-17 for the game.

Golden Knights, Maple Leafs scoreless after 1

It's not often that T-Mobile Arena has a strong contingent of visiting fans, but the Maple Leafs brought all of Ontario with them. The first period had dueling chants of Go Leafs Go and Go Knights Go, adding a fun wrinkle to the game that ended the first in a 0-0 tie.

Toronto wasn't afraid to be physical in the first period, bullying the Golden Knights at times in all three zones. Tyson Barrie up-ended Alex Tuch, and though Tuch was slow to get up, finished the shift and did not miss his next one.

The best scoring chances came from the Maple Leafs in the first. Ilya Mikheyev had a partial breakaway and Zach Hyman had a deflection that Marc-Andre Fleury lost sight of, but no harm was done.

The best defensive play came from the Golden Knights though. With Brayden McNabb pinching in the offensive zone, Mark Stone retreated to cover his point. Toronto broke out and started a rush, and Stone poked the puck away to send a rush the other way.

Tomas Nosek had a breakaway for the Golden Knights near the end of the period, but the puck slid off his stick without a shot on goal.

Vegas led in shots 10-9.

Nicolas Hague looks for first win against hometown Maple Leafs

The first NHL game Nicolas Hague ever attended wasn't in Toronto, but it did have the Maple Leafs on the ice.

He's a Golden Knights defenseman now, but then he was a kid from Kitchener, an Ontario city about 100 miles west of Toronto, sitting in the stands in Ottawa watching his favorite team play.

He doesn't root for the Maple Leafs anymore, of course, but it doesn't mean he didn't cherish playing in Toronto when the Golden Knights were there two weeks ago. They came up short in overtime at Scotiabank Arena, and now Hague and Vegas welcome the Maple Leafs for a rematch at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena, seeking Hague's first win against his boyhood team.

"They were my dad's favorite team, my mom and dad's favorite team and growing up just outside Toronto that was the team I cheered for," Hague said, then grinned. "They're full-blown Vegas now. They got a connection to the team now."

In the Maple Leafs, the Golden Knights will see a team with as much top-end talent as any in the league, but one that's struggling to put it together. They have more losses than wins, and even having three of the top seven highest salary-cap hits in the league hasn't helped them so far.

Mitchell Marner is out with an ankle injury while John Tavares has missed seven games this season.

But Toronto still has Auston Matthews, who has terrorized the Golden Knights with five goals and seven points in four career games.

"You just have to be aware of where he is on the ice," forward Jonathan Marchessault said. "He's a gifted player and I think a guy like (William Karlsson) can match and play with a guy like Auston Matthews."

The Golden Knights snapped a five-game losing streak Sunday with a dominant performance against Calgary. They won 6-0, their biggest win of the year, and will look to show that the victory was the start of something new, not a blip on an extended slump. There were plenty of reasons for optimism even throughout the streak, and Vegas put together in a big way against the Flames.

"The way we played the other night was exactly how I want to see us play," coach Gerard Gallant said. "I don't want to see anybody change a thing."

Last time out against Toronto the Golden Knights deployed goalie Malcolm Subban, who looked sharp in saving 35 of 37 shots. Tonight Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start. He has two starts against Toronto as a Golden Knight, both defeats last season.

Frederick Andersen is expected to start for the Maple Leafs. He has a .922 save percentage and four wins in five career games against Vegas.

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-160, Maple Leafs plus-135; over/under: 6.5 (minus-105, minus-115)

Golden Knights (10-9-3, 23 points) (5-4-2 home), fourth place, Pacific Division; second place, Wild Card

Coach: Gerard Gallant (third season)

Points leader: William Karlsson (23)

Goals leaders: Reilly Smith (10)

Assists leaders: William Karlsson (15)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.52 GAA, .920 save percentage)

Maple Leafs (9-9-4, 22 points) (3-6-0 road), fifth place, Atlantic Division; fourth place, Wild Card

Coach: Mike Babcock (fifth season)

Points leaders: Auston Matthews (27)

Goals leaders: Auston Matthews (14)

Assists leaders: Mitchell Marner, Morgan Rielly (14)

Expected goalie: Frederick Andersen (2.74 GAA, .912 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Max Pacioretty—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Jonathan Marchessault—Cody Eakin—Mark Stone

Alex Tuch—Paul Stastny—Cody Glass

William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt

Nicolas Hague—Shea Theodore

Jon Merrill—Deryk Engelland

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban