The Vegas Golden Knights once again gave up a third-period lead, but they responded and won this time.
Reilly Smith scored off a pass from Michael Amadio with 3:42 remaining to give the Knights a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
Vegas had recently lost two games with the same 3-2 score after leading in the third period, against Chicago on Feb. 21 and Dallas last Saturday. Both opponents forced overtime and won in shootouts.
“We’ve been playing good hockey,” Smith said. “We let a few games slip out of our reach the last three weeks, and those points can come back and haunt you at the end of the year. So it meant a lot to win this one and get two points.”
The Knights reclaimed first place in the Pacific Division with 78 points, two ahead of Los Angeles. Vegas has points in 10 of its past 11 games (7-1-3) and leads the Western Conference in points.
Carolina, first in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points, lost back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 3 and 5. The Hurricanes’ lead over New Jersey dropped to just one point after the Devils beat Colorado 7-5.
Jack Eichel scored two goals for the Knights, both in the second period. The first was on a shot from the slot, and the second on a breakaway, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead. He has scored five goals in five games and has a team-high 22 for the season.
“We let him alone a couple of times, and he’s not going to miss,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Ivan Barbashev assisted Eichel’s second goal, earning his first point with Vegas since being acquired from St. Louis on Sunday.
“He’s a smart player,” Eichel said. “He makes a lot of good plays. He goes to the net hard. He’s pretty easy to play with. I think the more time we spend together and play, the better our chemistry will continue to get. We’ve just got to feed off each other and make those little plays.”
Smith’s game-winning goal came after Carolina tied the score with 7:16 left in the third period as Jordan Staal redirected Brent Burns’ shot from the point.
The Hurricanes’ other goal came from right-wing Martin Necas, who has a team-best 53 points. Necas faked out Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and scored from the slot.
Amadio’s assist came in his 100th career game for the Knights, and Smith’s goal was just his second in 20 games.
“He’s had a lot of good looks,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said of Smith. “At the end of the day, I know he feels good about it. So should (Amadio). He had a perfect game on the wall and really complemented that line.”
Frederik Andersen finished with 17 saves for Carolina, and Adin Hill stopped 24 shots for Vegas.
The game had a playoff atmosphere, and it was a tight-checking game that’s common in the postseason.
“I think that type of hockey wins in the playoffs,” Cassidy said. “If you’re taking care of the puck, checking well, and scoring, that’s what we did today.”
TRADING DAY
Vegas and Carolina made trades.
The Knights acquired Pittsburgh forward Teddy Blueger, sending defenseman Peter DiLiberatore and a third-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Penguins.
The Hurricanes picked up defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from the Coyotes, giving Arizona a third-round pick in 2026.
UP NEXT
- Hurricanes: At Arizona on Friday night.
- Golden Knights: Host New Jersey on Friday night.