Mark Stone netted his first regular-season hat trick, and Logan Thompson made 34 saves, powering the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday.
Stone’s previous hat trick came during the clinching Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3.
Stone’s timely offensive burst was crucial as the Knights dealt with injuries to key players like Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Shea Theodore. Stone emphasized the importance of staying true to his game despite the absences.
“You can’t,” Stone said. “I’m not going to be Jack Eichel. There’s not going to be Shea Theodore. Just be your best version of yourself and play a team game.”
Jonathan Marchessault sealed the win with an empty-net goal, his 18th of the season, assisted by a long pass from Alex Pietrangelo with 17.9 seconds left. Chandler Stephenson and Pavel Dorofeyev each contributed two assists.
Luke Evangelista scored for the Predators, and Juuse Saros made 26 saves.
The Golden Knights have won two of their last three games and three of five after enduring a stretch of losing six out of seven.
“It’s no secret we haven’t been playing the way we know how or the way we wanted to,” Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague said. “We’re not going to quit on each other here. We know what kind of team we have, and tonight was a great step in moving forward. We’re missing some big guys now. So everyone needs to collectively be a little bit better and have different guys step up. Tonight was a huge game for us.”
The Predators, who had won three of their last four games, could take control early. The Golden Knights didn’t register a shot on goal until Pietrangelo’s blast from the right point with 5:08 left in the first period.
“I think it was the first timeout. I looked up, and we didn’t have a shot, and they had six or whatever it was, but I didn’t feel we were being dominated,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It did feel like we were not getting puck possession going into their end, but I didn’t feel we were underwater in terms of the play. We just had to win a few more battles.”
Thirty-three seconds after Pietrangelo’s shot, Stone scored off a rebound from the slot, breaking his seven-game goal drought. Stone’s goal ended a three-game stretch in which the Knights didn’t score over the first two periods.
Stone scored again 1:11 into the second period from the right circle off the rush. Evangelista tipped in Alexandre Carrier’s shot with 2:28 left in the second to put the Predators on the board. However, Stone completed his hat trick two minutes later, burying Stephenson’s drop pass on a 3-on-1 breakaway for a 4-on-4 goal, putting Vegas ahead 3-1.
“The third goal, I think, sunk us a little bit,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “A push in the third, but chasing the game is hard in this league.”
Rookie Debut
Brendan Brisson, the Knights’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft, made his NHL debut. The 22-year-old center had one shot on goal in 11:08 of ice time.
“All the boys were great to me, and I felt comfortable right away,” Brisson said. “I came out there for warmups and was looking around and was like, ‘Oh, geez.’ After the first shift, it felt like a hockey game.”
Marchessault Milestone
Marchessault played in his 600th career game and is the Knights’ career leader in games played (476), points (377), goals (168), and assists (210). He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP after leading the Knights to their first Stanley Cup championship.
Up Next
- Predators: At Los Angeles on Thursday.
- Golden Knights: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday.
