Jonathan Marchessault scored the game-winning power-play goal in overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights edged the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on Saturday night. Marc-Andre Fleury made history by tying for third on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
Marchessault, who had missed Friday’s game due to a lower-body injury, bounced back from a frustrating slashing penalty in the third period to net the game-winner just over three minutes into overtime.
“It felt pretty good to get on the board tonight,” Marchessault said.
The Coyotes, who had snapped Vegas’ 10-game winning streak the night before, started slow. William Karlsson and Mark Stone scored to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead, with Fleury playing strong through the first two periods.
However, Arizona found their rhythm in the third. Christian Fischer scored halfway through the period, and Christian Dvorak tied the game on a power play with just over five minutes remaining.
In overtime, Arizona was penalized for having too many men on the ice, giving Vegas a power-play opportunity. Marchessault capitalized, beating Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper from the left circle to secure the victory, helping the Golden Knights maintain a four-point lead in the West Division.
Fleury made 19 saves, tying Roberto Luongo with 489 wins for third on the NHL’s all-time list.
“Roberto was someone I looked up to and watched growing up,” Fleury said. “It’s an honor to be in the same conversation as him.”
Kuemper made 31 saves for Arizona, who now sits four points behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the West with four games left.
“We didn’t skate, we lost battles,” said Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet. “But after the first period, we made some adjustments, and it turned into a good game.”
The game was physical, with both teams carrying over intensity from their clash less than 24 hours earlier. Vegas dominated the early going, outshooting Arizona 14-1 before Karlsson scored off a Reilly Smith pass to make it 1-0.
Stone extended the lead to 2-0 midway through the second period, netting his 20th goal of the season on a 2-on-1 after an errant drop pass by Arizona’s Fischer led to the breakaway.
Arizona pushed back in the third period. Fleury stopped Phil Kessel on a breakaway early on, but Fischer eventually beat him with a wrist shot to cut the lead in half. Dvorak then tied the game on a power play after finding space in the slot and scoring on Fleury’s stick side.
“We showed good resiliency,” Fischer said. “We tied it up and gave ourselves a chance, but it’s unfortunate how it ended.”
Overtime Controversy
The Coyotes were unhappy with the too-many-men penalty called in overtime, which led to Vegas’ game-winning goal. Coach Rick Tocchet voiced his frustration with the call but acknowledged the officials’ overall performance.
“They’re good refs, and they’ll likely work deep in the playoffs,” Tocchet said. “But it felt like they singled us out with a couple of calls.”
Game Notes
- Coyotes defenseman Jordan Oesterle skated in warmups but missed his 11th straight game due to undisclosed reasons.
- Vegas won the season series against Arizona 6-2.
- Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty left the game with an injury, and coach Peter DeBoer did not have an update on his status.
- Coyotes forward John Hayden did not play due to COVID-19 protocols.
Up Next
- The Golden Knights begin a two-game series at Minnesota on Monday, while the Coyotes host the Los Angeles Kings for two games starting Monday.
