The Vegas Golden Knights couldn’t close out the Arizona Coyotes in regulation, but they dominated in overtime to secure a crucial divisional win. Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal at 3:36 of overtime, leading the Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes on Wednesday night.
Pacioretty, who also scored in the second period, netted his second goal by stuffing in a rebound during the extra period. Tomas Nosek added a goal, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves for Vegas. In overtime, Vegas outshot Arizona 5-0.
“We know how important these divisional games are,” Pacioretty said. “To stick with it and kill that penalty late in the game was huge for us.”
Derek Stepan scored both goals for Arizona, while Darcy Kuemper recorded 22 saves. Both teams have earned points in three of their last five games.
Stepan first scored with 52 seconds remaining in the opening period and tied the game 2-2 with 6:49 left in the third, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity after Alex Galchenyuk set him up for an open-net shot. Arizona had another power play with 1:55 left in regulation but couldn’t convert.
“There were some positives, especially with the power play getting a big goal,” Stepan said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win.”
Vegas nearly took a two-goal lead early in the third, but Cody Eakin’s goal was overturned after a review showed Alex Tuch was offside.
Both teams came out physical in the first period, highlighted by a scuffle between Coyotes’ Brad Richardson and Golden Knights’ William Karlsson. Arizona’s Christian Fischer had a close call late in the period when his shot hit the post.
Stepan opened the scoring by redirecting Jakob Chychrun’s shot past Fleury to give Arizona a 1-0 lead. It was Chychrun’s first point in his second game of the season.
Nosek tied the game for Vegas at 5:50 of the second period, beating Kuemper with a shot over the glove after a feed from Reilly Smith. Later in the period, Clayton Keller nearly put Arizona back in front, but his shot hit the post.
Pacioretty’s first goal came late in the second period following a passing sequence with Tuch and Eakin. Pacioretty finished the play with a wrist shot to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.
“Once Pacioretty finds the net, he gains confidence,” said Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant. “He’s a player who rises to the occasion.”
The Coyotes, who lead the NHL in penalty killing, successfully defended both of Vegas’ power-play opportunities. Arizona has only allowed five power-play goals on 62 attempts this season. Defenseman Alex Goligoski returned from injury for the Coyotes, playing for the first time since November 8.
“We need some of our players to step up,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “We aren’t built to outscore teams. We have to be more disciplined defensively.”
Game Notes:
- This was the first of four meetings between the two desert rivals.
- Golden Knights forward Tomas Hyka returned to the lineup after being scratched in the previous game.
- Kuemper started his eighth consecutive game with starting goaltender Antti Raanta still sidelined by a lower-body injury.
- Coyotes forward Josh Archibald served the second game of his two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head.
- Arizona defenseman Dakota Mermis was sent back to AHL Tucson after playing one game for the Coyotes last weekend.
Up Next:
- Vegas: Hosts the Calgary Flames on Friday night.
- Arizona: Hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
