On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights (25-13-12) played the second of a four-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs (24-18-9). They struck first and, despite allowing Toronto to get back into the game in the second period, never relinquished the lead. Mark Stone called off a three-point night with an empty net goal, and the Golden Knights won 6-3.
Mitch Marner returned to Scotiabank Arena as a visitor for the first time after a nine-year tenure with the Maple Leafs. Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said the team would support Marner by playing well, and that’s exactly what they did.
“Mitch is such a big part of our team,” said Jack Eichel postgame. “We just wanted to come and put our best foot forward for him and play hard. We were all emotionally invested from the start, and I think it showed.”
Right from puck drop, the Golden Knights were the hungrier team. They outshot the Maple Leafs 10-5 in the first period, and generated eight high-danger scoring chances while limiting Toronto to two.
The Golden Knights broke the ice just 1:06 into the first period. Ivan Barbashev won a board battle, and Mark Stone gave Jack Eichel a wide-open net to shoot into.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 4:31 in the first period. Reilly Smith sent a stretch-pass to Keegan Kolsar, who entered the zone and fired a shot on net. Jonas Røndbjerg beat Simon Benoit to the puck, and Kolesar banged in Røndbjerg’s rebound.
The Maple Leafs got on the board just 13 seconds into the second period. Matthew Knies fired one off the post, and Adin Hill cleared the puck right to John Tavares, who put it home.
Tavares’ goal only spurred the Golden Knights on, and they continued their attack with a vengeance.
The Golden Knights restored their two-goal lead at 3:32 in the second. Pavel Dorofeyev hit the post, then got to his own rebound and scored.
Less than two minutes later, the Golden Knights added another. Tanner Laczynski forced a turnover, and Braedan Bowman lasered a shot past Anthony Stolarz short-side.
However, the Maple Leafs didn’t roll over and go without a fight. They took control of the period and outshot the Golden Knights 11-7. They generated nine high-danger scoring chances in the second period while holding Vegas to two.
The Maple Leafs cut the lead to two at 10:04 in the second. Shea Theodore got caught up ice, and Matthew Knies sent Scott Laughton in on a breakaway. Jeremy Lauzon didn’t pick Laughton up, and he beat Adin Hill on a backhand.
The Maple Leafs made it a one-goal game at 18:19 in the second. Max Domi fired a shot from the point, and Bobby McMann tipped it home from between the hashmarks.
Heading into the third period, the Golden Knights buckled down after squandering their 4-1 lead. They outshot Toronto 14-5 in the third period and controlled 67.32% of the expected goal share. They generated three high-danger scoring chances and didn’t allow the Maple Leafs one.
Tomáš Hertl was called for goaltender interference at 12:37 in the third, sending the Golden Knights to their first penalty kill of the night. They boast the 13th ranked penalty kill in the league, and they stood tall when called upon.
Just 34 seconds after killing the penalty off, the Golden Knights restored their two-goal lead.
The Golden Knights regained their two-goal lead at 15:11 in the third. Brandon Carlo’s shot went wide, and Ivan Barbashev took off up ice on a 2-on-1 with Mark Stone. Barbashev got the pass through, and Stone slammed it home.
The Maple Leafs pulled Anthony Stolarz for the extra attacker with 2:38 remaining in regulation. The Maple Leafs pushed, but couldn’t get anything going. Mark Stone forces a turnover, and hit the empty net from behind his own blue line to secure a 6-3 victory for his team.
Stone extended his franchise-leading point-streak to 14 games (12-11-23). Jack Eichel, too, extended his own point streak to 11 games (7-13-20).
