John Tortorella, head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, stood in a scrum on Monday morning before an optional skate. He fielded five different questions, but the message remained consistent throughout his various answers.
“We’re ready to play,” he said simply.
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Tortorella was right. His Golden Knights were indeed ready to play. They scored just 72 seconds into the first period, survived a three-goal collapse, and scored in overtime to tie their series against the Utah Mammoth at two heading back to Vegas.
After sitting and stewing in their Game 3 loss for two days, the Golden Knights came out flying. They didn’t allow the Mammoth to record a shot on goal for nearly six minutes, and outshot them 8-3 in the first despite two Utah power plays. They generated eight high-danger scoring chances in the first period while holding the Mammoth to one.
The Golden Knights broke the ice just 1:12 into the first. Jack Eichel held onto the puck in the corner, drawing three Mammoth defenders out of position before finding Ivan Barbashev all alone at the left dot. Barbashev one-touched a pass to Pavel Dorofeyev, who finished off the back-door play.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead while shorthanded at 18:38 in the first. Mitch Marner pressured JJ Peterka into a turnover and found Brett Howden all alone in the slot. Howden pulled to the forehand, pivoted, and elevated his shot over Karel Vejmelka’s pad.
The second period was all about momentum swings. To begin the period, the Golden Knights were hot again and outshot the Mammoth 7-2 through the first seven minutes.
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The Golden Knights extended their lead 3:26 into the second. Noah Hanifin fired a shot from the point, and Cole Smith redirected it home.
Smith’s goal gave the Golden Knights life, but in hockey, momentum can change on a dime.
The Mammoth got on the board at 8:04 in the second. Lawson Crouse fired a shot from the top of the left circle, and Nick Schmaltz chipped the rebound over Carter Hart’s pad.
Just 29 seconds later, while Utah’s PA was still calling the goal, the Mammoth struck again. The Golden Knights were unable to clear the puck, and Ian Cole fired a slap shot from the point that found its way home.
Just 1:45 into the third period, the Golden Knights let the remainder of a once seemingly insurmountable lead slip away. Dylan Guenther found Michael Carcone all alone in the right circle, and the winger redeemed himself for an earlier miss.
The Mammoth continued to swarm and took their first lead of the night at 5:10 in the third. Clayton Keller gloved down an errant pass and threw a centering pass towards the net. The puck took a fortuitous bounce off Mitch Marner’s stick and into a sliding Shea Theodore before trickling into the back of the net.
From that point on, the Golden Knights played at the level required for what had just occurred. They outshot the Mammoth 7-5 and generated four high-danger chances.
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“When you trail, you’re making plays you don’t make normally,” said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny postgame. “You’re pushing the pace, and you’re a little bit careless defensively. You’re taking more chances, you’re putting more numbers in the rush… It’s not just that [we’re] sitting back, it’s that they’re tougher to defend.”
The Golden Knights netted the equalizer at 10:25 in the third. Noah Hanifin fired a blast from the point, and Brett Howden redirected it home for his second of the night.
The Golden Knights thought Pavel Dorofeyev ended the game 10 minutes into overtime, but after a lengthy review, officials determined that Jack Eichel was offside prior to the goal. He redeemed himself less than nine minutes later and recorded the assist on the overtime game-winning goal.
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With less than a minute remaining in overtime, Ivan Barbashev found Eichel cutting to the net. Karel Vejmelka made the save, but lost his stick in the process. Brett Howden made a play to get the puck back to Eichel behind the net, and Eichel found Shea Theodore all alone on the slot for the game-winner.
1. The Golden Knights absolutely needed to win the special teams battle tonight. They debuted two new power play units, but went 0-fer on four opportunities, including one that came just 2:28 into overtime. However, they were also a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, gave the Mammoth power play very little to work with, and scored a shorthanded goal.
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2. Jack Eichel answered the call for the Golden Knights today. Tomáš Hertl, on the other hand, rode the bench for a telling amount of time in such a pivotal game. Hertl took just 18 shifts and played less than 12 minutes in a game that nearly went to double overtime.
Pavel Dorofeyev, too, saw very little ice time in the third period. He did, however, return for the start of overtime and scored a goal that was ultimately disallowed.
3. During the regular season, the Golden Knights struggled with starts, riding out momentum swings, and finding a way to stop the bleeding. Tonight, they came out on top in all three areas.
First, they scored just 72 seconds into the first to jump out to an early lead against the Mammoth, and added another at the end of the period. When the Mammoth scored four unanswered to take the lead, the Golden Knights managed to rally and turn what would have been a crushing loss into a victory.
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