Jonathan Marchessault had never taken a penalty shot in his NHL career, but he made his first one count when it mattered most.
During a potential breakaway, Marchessault was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked by Ottawa’s Mark Stone. He calmly converted the opportunity, beating goalie Craig Anderson to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.
“I had one in the AHL, did a similar move, just went high glove,” Marchessault said. “I kind of knew what I wanted to do. I just waited and was able to put it where I wanted.”
Vegas fought back from an early 2-0 deficit, avoiding a second consecutive three-game losing streak after back-to-back home defeats. Alex Tuch scored twice, and Ryan Reaves scored a goal, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves to secure the win.
Matt Duchene, Bobby Ryan, and Ryan Dzingel scored for the Senators, with Anderson delivering a stellar net performance, stopping 49 shots. However, the Golden Knights outshot Ottawa 53-22, with 37 of those shots in the first two periods alone.
“Things weren’t going our way early on, but we played hard,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “We were down 2-0, but I liked how we played. We just needed to stick with it. I would have been upset with not getting the two points if we had lost, but the way we played was outstanding.”
The win came at a cost, though, as Vegas injured another player. Forward Cody Eakin exited the game after being hit in the head by Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki during the first period, just two days after Max Pacioretty left the previous game with an injury.
“It was a big hit, but I don’t think Borowiecki intended to hit Cody in the head,” Gallant said. “The puck came to Cody at the wrong moment, which was unfortunate.”
Duchene gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead early in the first period, and Ryan extended the advantage midway through the second with the Senators’ first power-play goal on the road this season.
“Our players gave everything they had tonight,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. “We stayed composed for 60 minutes, unlike our previous games where we lost focus after allowing a goal. Tonight, we stayed disciplined.”
Tuch, who missed the first eight games of the season with a lower-body injury, got his first goal of the season with a slick forehand-backhand deke to cut Ottawa’s lead in half. Reaves tied the game with his first career power-play goal late in the second period.
After a beautiful passing sequence, Dzingel netted his team-leading fourth road goal of the season to put Ottawa ahead again. Still, the lead lasted just 28 seconds before Tuch responded with his second goal of the game, setting the stage for Marchessault’s overtime heroics.
“It’s a huge win, especially with two tough road games coming up,” Tuch said. “We played really well, got a lot of shots, and even though Anderson played great, we just kept battling.”
Game Notes:
Vegas went 1 for 5 on the power play and is now 4 for 37 this season. Fleury is still one shutout away from 50 for his career. Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot leads the team with seven points (two goals, five assists) on the road. This season, the Senators are 1 for 9 on the power play in away games.
Up Next:
- Ottawa: Visits Arizona on Tuesday.
- Vegas: Visits Nashville on Tuesday.
