Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy often starts games with his fourth line to set the tone, and on Thursday, that strategy paid off big time.
The fourth line contributed two goals, including William Carrier’s game-winner with 2:36 left, and two assists in the Knights’ 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers challenged Carrier’s goal for goaltender interference, but officials ruled he was pushed into Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky by Brandon Montour, allowing the goal to stand.
Keegan Kolesar, also on the fourth line, assisted Carrier’s goal by passing the puck into the crease, leading to a scramble. Kolesar had two assists in the game, and Nicolas Roy scored the other fourth-line goal.
“If that line can continue to bring us offense, it’s crucial,” Cassidy said. “Earlier in the year, it made up for some of our struggles on the third line, trying to get guys up to speed. It’s a line we can rely on.”
William Karlsson added an empty-net goal for the final margin.
With the win, the Knights—who have won four of their last five games—moved into first place in the Pacific Division with 58 points, two ahead of Los Angeles and four in front of Seattle.
Vegas bounced back from Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Kings, which Cassidy called “probably the most disappointing game of the year.”
“Saturday, we didn’t have our best performance,” said Knights goalie Adin Hill, who made 37 saves. “It’s huge. We had a little bit of a break, a little reset. We came out here, and I thought our guys were full of energy, and we played a great game.”
The Panthers opened the scoring just 2:02 into the game. Florida’s Aaron Ekblad had a breakaway but hit the right post, and Nick Cousins scored off the rebound even though the goal came off its moorings. After consulting with the NHL office, officials ruled that Vegas’ Ben Hutton had rammed Ekblad into the net.
Knights forward Mark Stone left the game late in the first period and didn’t return. He came into the game second on the team in goals with 17 and points with 38. Cassidy said there was no update on Stone’s injury.
“It’s tough to see your captain go down in the first period,” Knights center Jack Eichel said. “I think everyone here knows what he means to our group, both on and off the ice. But other guys stepped up.”
In the second period, the teams traded goals—Roy for the Knights and Sam Reinhart for the Panthers. Reinhart scored a power-play goal against a Vegas team that had allowed just one goal on the penalty kill in the previous 20 attempts.
Florida nearly extended its lead when Anton Lundell scored from a sharp angle with 4:37 left in the period, but Cassidy challenged the play for offsides. The challenge was upheld, keeping the score at 2-1.
The Panthers had another chance to extend their lead early in the third with a 5-on-3 power play but managed only one shot on goal during the 1:43 of the two-man advantage.
“We got an opportunity to a 5-on-3,” Reinhart said. “Don’t capitalize. You don’t win when they kill it off. It also gives them some momentum.”
Vegas made the Panthers pay when Kaedan Korczak found Eichel with an outlet pass for a breakaway. Eichel did the rest, tying the game 8:37 into the third.
WORTH NOTING
Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk extended his point streak to five games with five goals and four assists. He has nine goals and nine assists in 13 games against Vegas.
UP NEXT
- Panthers: At home against Vancouver on Saturday.
- Golden Knights: They will be at home against Edmonton on Saturday.
