3.) The second period changes the fortunes of the road trip
After Wednesday's dismal performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights fans fretted about the other games. How can you be excited about hockey when your team can't even score? 31 shots without having any going in will have any fanbase reaching for the bottle.
But hope was on the horizon as the Golden Knights scored three goals on 32 shots to beat the Senators, 3-2. Granted, Ilya Samsonov and crew "kept Linus Ullmark's ass shut", with the goaltender stopping 38 shots. However, Jack Eichel and crew kicked off the scoring, moving on from that dreadful shutout.
At first, it appeared fans were in for a long night again, with both teams shut out after the first period.
"Oh boy... Here we go again."
However, that changed with five goals in 12 minutes and 23 seconds, as the Golden Knights blew the Montreal Canadiens out of the water. Suddenly, they have four points in three games, bringing positive vibes to the group heading into Philadelphia. That makes a difference, especially when on the tail-end of a long five-game trip. That could even mean a prolonged winning stretch that carries the team to first place... and beyond.