Vegas Golden Knights leave it late to take down Preds in stunning fashion
It was dramatic but the Vegas Golden Knights got the job done as they beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 in overtime.
Riding a three-game losing streak, the pressure was firmly on the Vegas Golden Knights but they weathered the storm and claimed what could be a season-defining win.
And it was eventful as the game featured a plethora of twists and turns, including a very dramatic and thrilling finale.
It started with Vegas on top, however, as Mark Stone scored the only goal of the first period, before Reilly Smith made it a two-goal game in the middle frame.
The Predators fought back, though and they completely flipped the narrative of the game as three unanswered goals from Mikael Granlund, Ryan Ellis and Matt Duchene put the hosts firmly in the driving seat.
This is hockey, however, and there was still time for one more twist in the tale as Max Pacioretty scored a buzzer beater to take the game to Overtime.
And the momentum was firmly with the Golden Knights by that point, and they took advantage thanks to Paul Stastny who recorded the game-winner to put Vegas back into the win column in impressive fashion.
Malcolm Subban played his part with 31 saves and it was the perfect start to the Thanksgiving weekend for the Vegas Golden Knights, who really needed that win.
Let’s delve into the game by breaking it down period-by-period…
The Game
First Period – As mentioned in our keys to the game, a fast start was important and the Vegas Golden Knights came out ready to play.
Juuse Saros made a big save on Max Pacioretty following a two-on-one, and the early pressure paid off at 7:33.
Mark Stone latched onto a bouncing puck in the crease and hammered it home beyond Saros to give the Knights a deserved lead.
Vegas were controlling possession, working hard to cancel out icing calls and playing well in every aspect of the game, despite being outshot 12-8 on the scoreboard.
Second Period – The Knights failed to take advantage on the power play against the 30th ranked penalty kill in the NHL, and they ended up taking a penalty of their own to make it a 4-on-4.
Malcolm Subban made a solid stop on a Dante Fabbro wrist shot, and that led to the Golden Knights tightening their grip on the game at 6:22.
After Nashville gave up the puck, Nate Schmidt cleared the puck up ice to Reilly Smith who was able to get in behind before lifting the puck over Juuse Saros with the backhand.
However, the Predators hit back straight away at 7:01 thanks to Mikael Granlund, who got to the crease and was in the right place at the right time to one-time home a Roman Josi feed.
And Josi played a huge role in making it a tied game as the Nashville Captain fed a dish to fellow defenseman Ryan Ellis, who deked Subban before switching to his backhand and applying the finishing touch at 11:25.
It was a horrible, ugly goal for Vegas to give up and Ellis should never have been left in that much space.
Third Period – Nashville were riding some momentum and they took control of the game at 1:23 in the final period.
Vegas could not clear the zone, they coughed up possession and it cost them as Matt Duchene was fed by Mikael Granlund and he ripped a shot past Malcolm Subban from the top of the circle.
Subban came up with a huge save towards the end of the period and it was needed with Nashville dominant in every aspect of the game.
A lot of the flaws that have plagued the Knights this year reared their ugly head again, and it looked as though the game was heading for a familiar ending.
However, Max Pacioretty had other ideas and, as all elite players do, he came up clutch with one second left on the clock after slamming home the buzzer beater.
Overtime – After crushing the souls of the Nashville Predators with that last second goal, the Vegas Golden Knights looked to finish the job in overtime.
Juuse Saros made a huge stop on William Karlsson to deny a certain goal, but he was unable to prevent Paul Stastny from burying the game-winner.
Full credit to Nate Schmidt who broke up a play in the defensive zone before charging up the ice and then sending over a feed to Stastny for the overtime winner.
Let’s go over some notes & stats from the game…
Notes & Stats from the game
This was the Vegas Golden Knights lineup against the Nashville Predators:
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Pacioretty-Stastny-Stone
Tuch-Eakin-Glass
Carrier-Nosek-Reaves
McNabb-Schmidt
Hague-Theodore
Merrill-Engelland
Subban
And these were the healthy scratches for the Golden Knights:
Here are some key stats from the game:
- SOG – VGK: 30 – NSH: 34
- FO% – VGK: 48% – NSH: 52%
- PP – VGK: 0/2 – NSH: 0/2
- PIM – VGK: 4 – NSH: 4
- HITS – VGK: 18 – NSH: 14
- BLKS – VGK: 13 – NSH: 18
- GVA – VGK: 3 – NSH: 12
And here is the Official Scoring Summary from the game:
- Mark Stone (11) – Pacioretty (16) – 7:33 / 1st
- Reilly Smith (11) – Schmidt (7) – 6:22 / 2nd
- Mikael Granlund (4) – Josi (16), Duchene (12) – 7:01 / 2nd
- Ryan Ellis (4) – Josi (17), Johansen (13) – 11:25 / 2nd
- Matt Duchene (7) – Granlund (7), Grimaldi (10) – 1:23 / 3rd
- Max Pacioretty (9) – Stone (12), Smith (8) – 19:59 / 3rd
- Paul Stastny (8) – Schmidt (8) – 1:52 / OT
Let’s go over some notes from the game:
- The Vegas Golden Knights are now 12-11-4 on the year after snapping a three-game losing streak to beat the Nashville Predators.
- The Knights are also now 6-6-1 on the road in 2019-20 following last night’s success in Nashville.
- It was a huge win for the Vegas Golden Knights who are now level on points with the Vancouver Canucks in the Pacific Division, and they must build on this win.
- And, it was also the first time in 12 overtimes that the Vegas Golden Knights had scored a goal in OT.
- Marc-Andre Fleury is currently away from the team due to a family illness and we certainly send our best to Fleury and his family.
- As a result, Malcolm Subban made his second straight start for the first time this year, making 31 saves from 34 shots.
- He is now 3-1-0 in his career against the Nashville Predators following last night’s win, while last night was also Subban’s first win of the season. He has a record of 1-4-2 this year with a 3.46 Goals Against Average and a .888 Save Percentage.
- Deryk Engelland came back into the lineup for the Golden Knights, logging 17:04 minutes of total ice time, while Nick Holden was a healthy scratch.
- It was a big night for Vegas’ top six forward unit with a number of their big hitters coming up with huge contributions.
- Mark Stone recorded a two-point night with a goal and an assist, and he now has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) on the year.
- Reilly Smith also registered two points with a goal and an assist, which takes the forward to 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points on the season.
- Another player with a two-point night was Max Pacioretty who scored the buzzer beater, and it was a real clutch moment from a player built for the big moments.
- Pacioretty has been huge for Vegas this year and he leads the team in points with 25 (nine goals, 16 assists) through 27 games.
- Paul Stastny scored the overtime winner and it was the veteran center’s 12th point of the year.
- Nate Schmidt also tallied a point with an assist, and the defenseman has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) on the year.
- Vegas was outshot 30-34 but took their chances and they were a lot better and sharper in the offensive zone than they have been in recent games.
- They were outdone in the faceoff circle, however, (52%-48%), and they only had 13 blocked shots to Nashville’s 18.
- Vegas did outhit the Predators 18-14, though, and they also had only three Giveaways compared to Nashville’s 12.
- Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play and the Golden Knights could not convert against the 29th ranked penalty kill in the NHL.
- The Golden Knights now have the sixth best penalty kill in the league (84.4) and the ninth best power play (21.2).
- Nate Schmidt led all Vegas Golden Knights skaters with an impressive total of 25:36 minutes. He’s certainly earned a big Thanksgiving dinner today.
My Three Stars of the game
- Max Pacioretty – One of a handful of players to record a two-point night for Vegas, Max Pacioretty came up clutch with the buzzer beater to take the game to overtime. It was a big time play from a big time player and Pacioretty has been a standout performer for the Knights this year.
- Mark Stone – The elite two-way forward led by example throughout the night and he finished with a goal and an assist for a two-point night. He buried the first goal of the game and then laid on the assist that set up the goal that tied the game in the final second of regulation.
- Malcolm Subban – Credit where credit is due. Malcolm Subban has endured a rough year so far but he enjoys his outings against the Nashville Predators and he came up big last night. He stopped 31 of 34 shots and came up clutch for his team when needed.
Official Three Stars of the game
- Paul Stastny
- Mikael Granlund
- Roman Josi
Next. Trade Deadline Shopping List. dark
Looking Ahead
The Vegas Golden Knights will now return home for Thanksgiving and they face a huge Pacific Division matchup against the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena on Friday – 3:00 p.m. PT.