The Vegas Golden Knights came out flying with two quick goals to start the game and added two more in the second period, earning a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night. The win marked Vegas’ first three-game winning streak of the season.
Alex Tuch scored twice within the first four minutes, while Reilly Smith and Max Pacioretty also added goals for the Golden Knights. Goaltender Malcolm Subban made 29 saves to help Vegas improve to 5-2-1 after previously enduring a five-game skid (0-4-1).
“You could see those early goals really set the tone for our team,” Subban said. “And then following it up with two more certainly helps. A 4-0 lead gets you feeling good about yourself.”
Despite the win streak, Tuch emphasized that the team stays focused on the task at hand. “We’re just taking it one period at a time and trying to win every night,” he said.
Brendan Lemieux scored the lone goal for the Rangers, while Henrik Lundqvist finished with 28 saves. New York, which had been on a 4-0-1 run, struggled to find their rhythm.
“I didn’t like our mentality,” said Rangers coach David Quinn. “We were too risk-oriented and didn’t play a solid, structured game. We really fueled their offense.”
The Rangers failed to convert on all six of their power-play opportunities against a Vegas team that ranks near the league’s top in penalty-killing.
After a strong push by New York in the second half of the first two periods, they came out aggressive in the third. They outshot the Golden Knights 8-1 in the first 12 minutes and finished the period with an 11-4 edge but couldn’t find the back of the net.
“We found a way and made some good saves,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “The guys did a really good job on the PK, which was the difference for us.”
Starting while Marc-Andre Fleury was away following his father’s death, Subban came up big in the third period with key saves, including stopping Ryan Strome’s tip-in attempt and a shot by Filip Chytil from the left circle.
“We did a great job of shutting down their plays on the power play,” Subban said. “It really frustrated them.”
To build a commanding lead, Vegas scored two early goals in the first and second periods. Tuch opened the scoring just 1:34 into the game when his shot from the left side trickled past Lundqvist, and after a review, it was confirmed as a goal.
Vegas quickly doubled their lead as Tuch netted his second goal on a power-play rush, tipping in a pass from Nate Schmidt at 3:50.
Smith made it 3-0 early in the second period with a backhander on a breakaway for his team-leading 12th goal. Later, Pacioretty added a power-play goal off a pass from Cody Glass, extending the Golden Knights’ lead to 4-0.
Lemieux deflected a pass from Jacob Trouba to get the Rangers on the board late in the second period, but New York couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities in the third.
Game Notes:
- Vegas acquired forward Chandler Stephenson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft.
- Lundqvist appeared in his 874th game, surpassing Tony Esposito (Chicago) for the second-most games played with one team in NHL history. Martin Brodeur (New Jersey) tops the list with 1,259 games.
- The Rangers were 0 for 2 on the penalty kill after a strong run where they had gone 20 for 21 in their previous five games.
- Pacioretty now leads Vegas with 26 points.
- Vegas is tied with Colorado for the most first-period goals in the NHL with 33.
UP NEXT:
- Golden Knights: At New Jersey on Tuesday night.
- Rangers: At Columbus on Thursday night.
