Philipp Kurashev scored a power-play goal 2:50 into overtime, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, dealing them their first-season loss.
With William Karlsson in the penalty box for tripping Connor Bedard, Kurashev skated to the top of the slot and fired a shot past Vegas goalie Adin Hill for his first season goal. The Blackhawks improved their road power play to 2 for 22 and became the first team to score a power-play goal against Vegas at home this season.
“It was just a long shift, too; we stayed out there for a while,” Kurashev said. “I just saw the opportunity to shoot it, took it, and it went in.”
Bedard, Ryan Donato, and Taylor Raddysh also scored for Chicago, which snapped a three-game losing streak and had dropped five of their last six. Petr Mrazek made 18 saves for the Blackhawks.
Vegas had opened the season with seven consecutive victories, marking the best start for a defending Stanley Cup champion in NHL history. The Golden Knights had beaten the Blackhawks 5-3 in Chicago last week.
“We’re a young team, and we beat the defending champs, so it’s a great confidence boost for us,” Kurashev said. “I think we can learn a lot from it and take good things from it, and hopefully, we can build on something.”
Karlsson, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Shea Theodore scored for Vegas, with Hill making 20 saves.
The game featured a back-and-forth first period with four goals.
The Golden Knights took an early lead with Dorofeyev’s first goal of the season at 1:35, redirecting a pass from Michael Amadio past Mrazek. Karlsson extended the lead to 2-0 at 3:52, tipping in Theodore’s shot from the blue line.
The Blackhawks found their rhythm midway through the first period. Donato scored his second goal at 13:20, sneaking a shot past Hill after a pass from Corey Perry. Moments later, Bedard scored his third goal of the season, one-timing a wrist shot under Hill’s glove at 14:39 after a pass from Nick Foligno. This marked Bedard’s second goal against Vegas, making him the youngest player in NHL history to score in each of his first two games against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
In the third period, Chicago took the lead for the first time. Theodore mishandled a clearing attempt, allowing Raddysh to skate in and beat Hill 1:11 into the period. Theodore later redeemed himself with his third goal at 11:28, tying the game.
After an energetic first period with 11 shots on goal, the Golden Knights managed only 10 shots for the remainder of the game.
“Obviously, they were playing hard and stepping up, but I thought we weren’t really making the plays we normally make,” said Vegas center Brett Howden. “I thought it was good for us to get a goal back and at least get a point out. But it’s not up to our standard.”
Added Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy: “I just thought we mishandled pucks all night. We did not execute at an NHL level.”
UP NEXT:
- Blackhawks: Visit Arizona on Monday
- Golden Knights: Visit Los Angeles on Saturday
