Michael Amadio’s time on the Vegas Golden Knights top line will end when Jack Eichel returns from his lower-body injury, but he’s certainly making the most of his opportunity.
The line of Amadio, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone shined again, playing a crucial role in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. This trio combined for three goals and six assists, tallying six goals and nine assists over the past two games. In the shootout, Stephenson tied it, and Stone scored the winning goal.
The Knights head into the Christmas break with back-to-back home wins after losing six of their previous seven games at T-Mobile Arena.
“It’s a shootout; it can go anyone’s way, but the difference between winning and losing, the mood in the room is significantly different,” Stone said. “So rehab and enjoy this one with the guys heading into the break. I think we’ve played almost as many games as anyone, so it’s good to get the break.”
St. Louis returns home after a strong start to their five-game trip, which ended with back-to-back losses.
“I liked our effort,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “At the same time, we’ve got to clean up some play a little bit, and we’ve got to be a little bit better defensively.”
Stephenson finished with a goal and three assists, extending his point streak to seven games (three goals, 11 assists), the longest of his career. He leads the Knights with 27 assists and 35 points.
Amadio contributed a goal and two assists, marking his second three-point performance, with the other coming on March 4 against Anaheim.
“He’s a guy that when he first came here, you can see his skill and what he can do,” Stephenson said. “There are a lot of little plays that he makes that kind of go unnoticed.”
Stone and Alex Pietrangelo each had a goal and an assist.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored the Blues’ sole shootout goal and had a goal and two assists. Pavel Buchnevich (goal, assist) and Torey Krug (two assists) each had two points.
Pietrangelo put the Knights on the scoreboard just 5:22 into the game.
In the second period, five goals were scored by the two teams. Buchnevich, Tarasenko, and Justin Faulk scored for the Blues, while Stone and Amadio netted goals for the Knights, leaving the score tied at 3-3 heading into the third period.
Tarasenko’s goal came on a power play, ending a streak of eight consecutive penalty kills for Vegas. The Knights had also killed off 12 of the previous 13 penalties.
Noel Acciari redirected Brandon Saad’s shot with 9:15 left to put St. Louis ahead 4-3, but Saad was called for hooking with 2:38 remaining.
That put the Knights on the power play, and Stephenson blasted in a rebound to tie the score at 4-4 with 1:36 left. It was the Knights’ 13th power-play goal in December, setting a franchise record for a month.
NOTES
- Blues’ leading scorer, Jordan Kyrou, didn’t play for the second game in a row due to an upper-body injury, but he took part in Friday’s morning skate. He leads St. Louis with 16 goals and 32 points.
- Vegas’ second-line right wing Jonathan Marchessault didn’t play due to a lower-body injury. The Knights called up right wing Pavel Dorofeyev and defenseman Brayden Pachal from their AHL affiliate in Henderson, Nevada.
- Pietrangelo extended his point streak to four games (one goal, three assists), and Krug extended his to four games (five assists).
UP NEXT
- Blues: At home against Toronto on Tuesday.
- Golden Knights: At Los Angeles on Tuesday.
