Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and added an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights erupted for three goals in just over two minutes during the second period, securing a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night.
“We need to build off this,” Marchessault said after the game. “Our first 20 games were rough, and we all know it. We have to catch up after that slow start. There’s no magic fix—we just need to play fast, give each other options quickly, and that’s what we did tonight.”
William Karlsson, Cody Eakin, Max Pacioretty, and Reilly Smith also scored for Vegas. Smith contributed two assists, while Colin Miller tallied three helpers. The Golden Knights have now won two of their last three games, improving their record to 9-11-1.
For the Oilers, Connor McDavid, Alex Chiasson, and Leon Draisaitl found the back of the net. Edmonton has struggled recently, losing six of their last seven games, and now sits at 9-10-1.
“It’s frustrating, no doubt,” McDavid said. “We’ve shown we can be a good team, like during our 8-1-1 stretch. Now we’ve slipped and need to get back to playing the brand of hockey we know we’re capable of.”
Eakin started Vegas’ second-period surge, tying the game 2-2 with a short-handed goal at 2:21. Pacioretty followed with a goal at 3:53, and Marchessault added a power-play tally just 40 seconds later to put the Golden Knights up 4-2.
“We came out strong in the second period, and one goal led to another,” Eakin said. “That’s what we needed. We’ve been inconsistent, but hopefully, we can build on this and find some momentum.”
Marchessault extended Vegas’ lead just 34 seconds into the third period, deflecting a shot for his 10th goal of the season. Smith added another goal three minutes later to make it 6-2. Draisaitl scored for Edmonton shortly after, but the Oilers couldn’t mount a comeback.
Edmonton got off to a fast start, with McDavid tipping in Matt Benning’s shot just 52 seconds into the game. McDavid’s 12th goal of the season had Marc-Andre Fleury moving in the wrong direction. Despite the early lead, Edmonton couldn’t sustain the momentum against the defending Western Conference champions.
Game Notes:
- This was the first of four meetings between the two teams this season. Last year, Edmonton won three of four games against Vegas.
- Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt made his season debut after serving a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
- Alex Chiasson has been productive for the Oilers, scoring eight goals in 14 games after joining the team on a training camp tryout.
Up Next:
- Golden Knights: Travel to Calgary for a Monday night matchup.
- Oilers: Head to San Jose to face the Sharks on Tuesday night.
