Golden Knights rally again, erase 3rd period lead and beat Coyotes

By Justin Emerson

Published Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Updated Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 | 9:55 p.m.

For the second game in a row, the Golden Knights rallied in the third period to win.

This time it was against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, as Vegas turned a one-goal deficit in the final period into an eventual 4-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

Reilly Smith tied it early on by scoring the goal, but William Karlsson's play to set it up was a thing of beauty. From behind the net, he dished to the slot between his legs and with his back to the play. Smith roofed it, and Vegas even the game at 2-2 at the 4:11 mark.

Then Chandler Stephenson recorded one of the odder goals he'll ever have. He played the role of a backboard to a Zach Whitecloud shot, allowing the puck deflect off his back and into the net, all while he didn't even have his stick. Stephenson's first of the season came at 8:12 and gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the night.

Smith added a short-handed, empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining.

The game was quite similar to Saturday's win over the Ducks, where Vegas looked lifeless at times for long stretches of play before the third period. But the Golden Knights have owned the third period this season, scoring seven goals and allowing none in three games.

Arizona got off to a 2-0 lead that held deep into the second period thanks to some special-teams work. Tyler Pitlick scored short-handed in the first and Nick Schmaltz cashed in on the power play in the second.

After that though, Vegas turned on the jets. Max Pacioretty drew first blood late in the second to make it 2-1, and Smith and Stephenson put the Knights up for good in the third.

Arizona led in final shots on goal 33-28.

Special teams put Golden Knights in 3rd period hole to Coyotes

Though the Golden Knights scored the game's only 5-on-5 goal, special teams have been an issue, putting the Coyotes on top.

Vegas allowed a power-play goal in the second period after a short-handed tally in the first, and trailed the Coyotes 2-1 after two periods at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

There were just four combined penalties in the Golden Knights' first two games against the Ducks. Just shy of the midpoint on Monday the seventh penalty occurred, and it cost Vegas another goal.

Jonathan Marchessault got into it with Arizona's Conor Garland, and Marchessault got the gate fro cross-checking. On the power play, Nick Schmaltz sent a low shot at the net for Arizona, where i appeared to bounce off Alec Martinez and into the goal for a 2-0 Coyotes lead.

The Golden Knights took one more penalty in the period, giving them four for the game.

Vegas finally got on the board with 2:58 to go in the second period. Max Pacioretty missed his initial attempt put picked up his own rebound and snuck it into the net. He had scored thee of the Golden Knights' eight goals of the season to that point.

After two periods, shots were 28-15 in favor of Arizona.

Golden Knights trail Coyotes after 1st period

The Golden Knights gave up the only goal of the first period on Monday, and the first 20 minutes ended with Vegas in a 1-0 hole to the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.

The Golden Knights were hoping to get the scoring started on the power play, but not in the way that happened. Mark Stone turned the pick over in the offensive zone, and Arizona's Tyler Pitlick intercepted it and went the other way short-handed for a 1-0 Coyotes lead.

Vegas even had a better opportunity come next, when a delay of game gave the Golden Knights 1:03 of 5-on-3 power-play time. Nothing came of it though, and the penalties expired with Vegas still trailing.

Golden Knights' opponents have taken five penalties (one came later in the period) leading to 6:58 of power-play time including the 5-on-3 time, and have allowed one goal and scored zero.

Other than that it was a fairly uneventful period. The Golden Knights struggled in controlling the puck, particularly in their defensive zone. They were charged in the stat book with three giveaways, though there were plenty of instances of failing to clear or icing the puck.

The struggles continued when William Carrier took a high-sticking minor and sent Arizona to the power play. It didn't last long though, as Chandler Stephenson drew a hooking call in front of the Coyotes' net to send play to 4-on-4.

There will be 13 seconds of 4-on-4 time to start the second period, then 1:11 of Vegas power play.

The Coyotes led in shots on goal 12-8 in the first.

For Golden Knights, winning in regulation especially vital this season

The Golden Knights took care of the Ducks this weekend to open the abbreviated season, sweeping both games and creating a three-point gap between themselves and Anaheim in the standings.

It’s a three-point lead and not four because the second victory came in overtime. In a system that rewards a victory with two points and an overtime or shootout loss with one point, not allowing divisional rivals an extra point is important.

This year, every game against a West Division opponent is vital. The Golden Knights are looking to win as many games as they can, but doing so in regulation will be paramount when standings points are that much more valuable in a shortened season. Every game is a four-point game.

“There’s four points up for grabs in every game,” Vegas forward Alex Tuch said after Thursday’s season-opening win. “It’s huge and we were able to win four points last night (in the opener), so going forward we want to continue to have success in regulation.”

Teams like to use the phrase “four-point game” to describe divisional contests. If the Golden Knights are tied in the standings with a team entering a game and win in regulation, they’ll go up two points in the standings. A loss sends them two points back. There is a possible four-point swing in the standings in one game.

“We recognize that we’re essentially starting in the second half of the season here,” Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “We hope for regulation wins and we hope to see a lot of regulation wins on the out-of-town scoreboard.”

As DeBoer alluded to, the importance of games ending in regulation is even heightened in games not directly involving Vegas. Regardless of who wins, an overtime game between two divisional rivals means they both get at least a point. It makes it harder for the Golden Knights to create separation if they are leading the division, and harder to catch up if they are behind those teams.

On opening night for the eight West Division teams, two games went to overtime. That meant after each team had only one game played, six teams already had a point.

Still, it’s a little premature for intense scoreboard watching. A win this week means as much as a win in the last game of the season, of course, and Vegas did win the Pacific last year by just three points, but the Golden Knights haven’t started watching out-of-town games just yet.

“It’s too early. Right now, personally I’m not looking at that,” Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. “We’re just focusing on us and being there as a team, where we want to be. I guess in a few games we’ll watch where the standings are at, but right now it’s still a little too early.”

And of course, the focus on ending games in regulation only goes so far. It’s not as if Vegas is going to pull the goalie in a tie game late in the third. If it goes to overtime, so be it.

“I honestly think a win’s a win,” Tuch said. “If we have to win in overtime, it’s still better than losing.”

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Betting line: Golden Knights minus-200, Coyotes plus-175; over/under: 5.5 (minus-105, minus-115)

Golden Knights (2-0-0, 4 points; t-1st place, West Division)

Coach: Peter DeBoer (second season)

Points leader: Mark Stone (4)

Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (2)

Assists leader: Mark Stone (3)

Expected goalie: Robin Lehner (2.00 GAA, .909 save percentage)

Coyotes (1-0-1, 3 points; 3rd place, West Division)

Coach: Rick Tocchet (fourth season)

Points leaders: Five players (3)

Goals leader: Phil Kessel (3)

Assists leader: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3)

Expected goalie: Darcy Kuemper (2.86 GAA, .914 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Nicolas Roy—Tomas Nosek—Alex Tuch

William Carrier—Keegan Kolesar—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Alex Pietrangelo

Alec Martinez—Shea Theodore

Nicolas Hague—Zach Whitecloud

Goalies

Robin Lehner, Marc-André Fleury