The Vegas Golden Knights haven’t had the best record against top-tier teams this season, but on Saturday, they showed they can compete with the league’s best.
Chandler Stephenson scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Golden Knights erased a three-goal deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4.
With this victory, Vegas improved to 15-6-3 since November 17, leading the NHL to 33 points in that span. While they have dominated weaker teams throughout the season, this win was crucial, as it came against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Heading into the game, Vegas was 2-6-1 against the top seven teams in the standings, having been outscored 35-21. However, this was their fourth consecutive win, with three of those victories coming against teams currently in playoff position, including Saturday’s big win.
“It wasn’t too much of a statement the first 28 minutes, but after that, we played real good hockey,” said Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant. “You battle back, you never say never in this league.”
Stephenson’s overtime goal came after he poke-checked the puck from St. Louis’ Robert Thomas, sprinted in on a breakaway, and beat Blues goalie Jake Allen with a forehand-to-backhand move just 3:01 into the extra period. Since being traded from Washington on Dec. 2, Stephenson has netted five goals and eight points in 16 games for the Golden Knights.
Ryan Reaves, Paul Stastny, Nicolas Roy, and Reilly Smith also scored for Vegas, helping the team rally from a 3-0 deficit. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves, picking up his 457th career win, putting him just one win behind the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist for fifth all-time.
For the Blues, Alex Pietrangelo, Jaden Schwartz, Oskar Sundqvist, and former Golden Knight David Perron scored, while Allen stopped 28 shots. After winning eight consecutive games, St. Louis has now lost three straight, being outscored 15-8 in those losses.
“This league is so tight,” said Blues coach Craig Berube. “You’ve got to keep winning; you’ve got to find a way to get points. We got a point tonight, and that’s a big point.”
The Blues still lead the Western Conference with 59 points, while Vegas sits second with 54 points.
The game saw multiple players score against their former teams. Perron, who had three points (one goal, two assists), earned his first points since leaving Vegas after the Golden Knights’ inaugural season. Stastny, a former Blues player, has 12 goals and 31 points against his old team. Reaves also scored his first goal against St. Louis, while William Carrier, who was drafted by the Blues but never played for them, had an assist.
Game Notes:
- Since Jan. 2, 2019, the Blues have the best record in the NHL (56-20-11) and the most points (123).
- Gallant and Berube will coach the Pacific and Central Divisions in this year’s All-Star Game.
- Jonathan Marchessault missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
- Golden Knights rookie Cody Glass left the game in the third period with an apparent lower-body injury and did not return.
- The Blues are 5-0-3 against the Golden Knights since Vegas entered the league in 2017, remaining the only NHL team never to lose in regulation to Vegas.
Up Next:
- St. Louis: Hosts San Jose on Tuesday night.
- Vegas: Hosts Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.