Zach Sanford had the best game of his NHL career, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sanford scored four goals in St. Louis’ 6-5 overtime loss to Vegas on Thursday night, in the Blues’ first game since teammate Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode earlier in the week. The emotional game for Sanford hit close to home, as his father passed away from a heart attack in 2018.
Despite Sanford’s heroic performance, Jonathan Marchessault’s power-play goal in overtime secured the win for the Golden Knights. Vegas tied a franchise record with four power-play goals, with Marchessault contributing two and Max Pacioretty and Nate Schmidt adding one each. Pacioretty also scored at even strength, while Alex Tuch found the back of the net as well. Malcolm Subban made 19 saves in his third start of 2020.
“The crowd was great for us,” said Marchessault. “We wanted to give them a win, and it’s good to get the first one here.”
The Golden Knights improved to 5-3-2 under new head coach Peter DeBoer and are fighting to secure a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. However, thoughts were with the Blues, who have been dealing with the aftermath of Bouwmeester’s collapse during a game in Anaheim on Tuesday.
After a defibrillator was used to revive Bouwmeester, he remains hospitalized for further tests. The Blues hit the ice with heavy hearts but were ready to play.
Sanford wasted no time, scoring just 25 seconds into the game. It was a bittersweet moment for Sanford, who lost his father in 2018. Sanford’s father never got to watch him play an NHL regular-season game in person, but a close friend from New Hampshire, Brett Glendye, was on the trip for support.
“I wish my dad could be here, but I think he was watching over me tonight,” Sanford said. He now has 13 points in his last nine games.
After Sanford’s early goal, Vegas responded quickly. Pacioretty scored twice to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead. Mackenzie MacEachern also scored for St. Louis, while Jordan Binnington made 46 saves for the Blues. Despite Sanford’s efforts, the Blues couldn’t hold onto the lead, allowing three or more goals for the 10th consecutive game.
St. Louis has struggled defensively since mid-January, allowing the most goals in the league over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights, who had struggled on the power play under DeBoer, went 4 for 5 with the man advantage on Thursday.
“That one hurt,” said Blues alternate captain Ryan O’Reilly. “We had the lead multiple times and couldn’t shut the door. We gave up too much, and they got some good bounces on the power play.”
Game Notes:
- The Golden Knights recently purchased an AHL franchise and plan to develop a new 6,000-seat arena in Henderson, Nevada.
- When shown on the jumbotron, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and coach Jon Gruden received loud cheers from the sellout crowd of 18,252.
- Alex Tuch played his 100th career game.
Up Next:
- St. Louis: Hosts Nashville on Saturday.
- Vegas: Hosts the N.Y. Islanders on Saturday.