They were finally beaten but the Vegas Golden Knights extended their point streak to five games after losing to the New York Islanders in overtime on Thursday.
In what was their first visit in franchise history to the Nassau Coliseum, the Vegas Golden Knights went the distance before succumbing to the Isles, although they still claimed five points from a possible six on this three-game road trip which is a fantastic return.
Although Marc-Andre Fleury was back with the team after returning from personal leave, Malcolm Subban made his sixth straight start and made 28 stops from 31 shots.
Cal Clutterbuck got the Islanders on the board first in the second period after a scoreless first, but Alex Tuch made it a tied game heading into the final third with his seventh point in four games.
Brock Nelson gave the Isles the lead again early in the third, although Jonathan Marchessault‘s fourth goal in two games took the contest to overtime.
And, despite their best efforts, Vegas couldn’t land the final blow and they were denied the win when Ryan Pulock wristed the winning goal past Subban after the Knights couldn’t clear the zone.
Let’s delve into the game by breaking it down period-by-period…
The Game
First Period – Both teams like to play a physical brand of hockey and that was on display from the first drop of the puck as Deryk Engelland laid a crushing hit on Matt Martin.
But the Islanders were the team playing with a real edge and they peppered Malcolm Subban with a flurry of efforts, outshooting the Knights 13-8.
Second Period – And the Isles carried that momentum into the middle frame and they got on the board first at 4:26.
Cal Clutterbuck carried the puck into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush, before absolutely ripping the puck past Malcolm Subban.
New York was completely dominant in all areas and they were showing why they have been one of the best teams in the NHL so far this year.
The Knights were getting their chances too, however, and they came close when Reilly Smith had a one-timer stopped by Semyon Varlamov, while Subban had to make a couple of big stops himself.
And that laid the platform for Vegas to finally get on the board as, at 15:27, Alex Tuch continued his recent hot streak by getting the puck in the neutral zone, charging into the offensive zone and then firing a shot from within the circle over the blocker of Varlamov.
Vegas outshot New York 13-12 in the second period.
Third Period – It didn’t take long for the Islanders to restore their lead, however, as Anthony Beauvillier won the puck battle behind the net before feeding Brock Nelson who sniped a shot past Subban.
Vegas would tie the game at 15:28, though, with Nic Hague fanning on a shot but Jonathan Marchessault was right there to hammer home the puck for his fourth goal in his last two outings.
Overtime – Nate Schmidt did an outstanding job of putting the shackles on Mathew Barzal for a large chunk of overtime, but the Islanders were put in the driving seat when Jonathan Marchessault took a tripping penalty.
And, with the man advantage, the New York Islanders landed the knockout blow as Ryan Pulock beat Malcolm Subban with an unstoppable wrister.
However, the Vegas Golden Knights collected five points from a possible six on a three-game road trip on the east coast, and they are starting to find their game.
Let’s go over some notes and stats from the game…