Darryl Dyck / Canadian Press via AP
Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone, from left to right, William Carrier, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez celebrate Carrier’s goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
Published Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 | 10:17 p.m.
Updated Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 | 11:34 p.m.
The third period Monday in Vancouver was heavy in the Christmas spirit. Six total goals, two lead changes, a camera lens voiding a goal, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When the dust finally settled, Alex Pietrangelo delivered when needed once again. Pietrangelo scored the game-winning goal with 5:46 remaining to give him his fourth 3-point game of the season — and third in less than two weeks — to give the Golden Knights a thrilling 5-4 win against the Canucks at Rogers Arena.
Pietrangelo, who did not have a 3-point game in his first two years with Vegas, has 20 points through 20 games, the best start to a season in the defenseman's 15-year career.
"There's no perfect game every night. You've got to play the game in front of you," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Good for our guys for being resilient."
William Carrier scored twice for the first multigoal game of his career, and Mark Stone scored for the fourth time in three games to cap a two-game road trip for the Golden Knights (15-4-1) in which they earned three of a possible four points.
Vegas was coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton on Saturday.
Given how things went Monday, the Golden Knights were closing in on picking up just one point this trip.
The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission thanks to two goals in 49 seconds. After Vancouver's Andrei Kuzmenko opened the scoring midway through the period, Stone scored on a deflection from Jack Eichel's shot to tie it. On the same shift, Eichel's shot was deflected by Carrier to give the Golden Knights the lead.
It was a better response from Vegas after a first period that, despite outshooting the Canucks 17-8, felt like Vancouver dominated possession in the offensive zone.
The Canucks had a first-period goal from Curtiz Lazar overturned thanks to a successful offsides challenge.
But the third period is when things went off the rails.
The Canucks scored three times in 6:11 to turn a 2-1 Vegas lead into a 4-2 deficit. Goals from Bo Horvat, Luke Schenn and Elias Pettersson gave Vancouver a two-goal lead, something that has haunted the Canucks. Coming into Monday, they squandered a multigoal lead six times already this season.
They would not be denied in the seventh.
It took 43 seconds for the Golden Knights to respond, starting with Carrier's second goal of the game to make it 4-3. The fourth-line forward is now three goals shy from tying his career-high.
Reilly Smith tied it less than two minutes later.
"We were down a little bit after they had those quick three goals there," Stone said. "But still plenty of time."
Stone appeared to score his second of the game at 10:06 of the third to give the Golden Knights the lead, but the Canucks challenged that a stoppage in play was never called because a camera lens landed on the ice. Prior to Stone's goal, the puck circled around the glass and knocked a photographer's lens onto the ice.
Photographers have designated areas to shoot around the rink with a small opening for their cameras. Play never stopped, Stone scored, thus leading to the challenge from Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau.
"They take that off the board on a play that I'll probably never see again in my life in the National Hockey League," Cassidy said.
The waived goal did not deter the Golden Knights. They limited the Canucks to just one shot on goal in the next five-plus minutes before Pietrangelo scored for the second time in three games.
Pietrangelo cut to the net from right to left, received a pass from Stone and beat Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko with the backhand for the go-ahead tally.
"Even when we get that goal called back, we take the lead, and I think we stuck with it," Eichel said.
The Golden Knights are finding ways to score in volumes, and the production continues to come from the top players. Eichel's two assists give him 17 points in the last 11 games, Smith continues his quest for a career-best in goals with his 10th this season, and Stone has five points in the last three games.
Logan Thompson made 26 saves for his fifth straight road win and became the second goalie this season to reach 10 victories. Only Boston's Linus Ullmark (13) has more.
Monday was another instance where the Golden Knights' best players played like it. That's why Vegas has 15 wins in 20 games, and will enter Thanksgiving with the most points in the Western Conference.
"We don't want to let it get to that," Stone said. "But resiliency is there. You take the good and the bad. ... We let them off the hook there a little bit, but we found a way to get it done."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
