The Vegas Golden Knights bounced back from a disappointing five-goal loss with a commanding performance led by Jack Eichel.
Eichel netted three goals on Sunday, as the Golden Knights dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2, fueled by a four-goal outburst in the second period.
This marked Eichel’s fourth career hat trick and his second this season. Eichel, who tops Vegas with 26 goals, last achieved a hat trick on November 10 against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres.
Phil Kessel and Pavel Dorofeyev each contributed a goal and an assist, while Paul Cotter and Zach Whitecloud also found the net for Vegas. Alex Pietrangelo recorded a career-high four assists. Dorofeyev has accumulated five points in four games since being called up from the AHL.
Jiri Patera called up on March 9, made 35 saves in just his second career start, improving his record to 2-0.
“One good thing is the contributions throughout the lineup,” Eichel said. “We’ve had five goalies now play for us, and I think all of them have done a great job. Different guys are stepping up and playing well, and that’s what you need.”
Blue Jackets’ goalie Daniil Tarasov was pulled with 3:03 left in the second period after allowing five goals on 28 shots, including four goals in a 4:22 span. He was replaced by Michael Hutchinson, who was traded to Columbus as part of the deal for goalie Jonathan Quick.
Kirill Marchenko and Liam Foudy scored for the Blue Jackets, with Patrik Laine adding two assists.
Columbus coach Brad Larsen was absent due to a family bereavement, with associate coach Pascal Vincent stepping in.
“In the second period, we had our chances,” Vincent said. “They took advantage of theirs, and their goalie was pretty good. That’s the difference between a good team and a team in our current position. We need to sustain that pace for 60 minutes.”
Vegas rebounded from Thursday’s 7-2 defeat to Calgary by securing their fifth win in six games and eighth in the past 10. They lead the Western Conference with 92 points, two ahead of Pacific Division rival Los Angeles.
Columbus remains at the bottom of the NHL standings with 49 points, holding a 1-6-1 record in their past eight games.
“You can’t lose to a team at the bottom of the standings,” said Knights forward Reilly Smith, who extended his career-high points streak to eight games with a first-period assist. “We did a good job, especially at the tail end of the second period, getting pucks in the net. We were pretty fortunate with some of the bounces, but they go a long way when you’re able to push a team down and take away their confidence.”
KNIGHTS GOALIES NEAR RETURNS
Patera will likely be returned to the AHL with two injured goalies set to join the Knights on their upcoming road trip. Logan Thompson has been out since February 9 and Laurent Brossoit since February 27, both with lower-body injuries. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said he will evaluate the goalie situation, including Quick, over the final 12 regular-season games.
“We don’t have enough room to get everyone what they want,” Cassidy said. “They’re going to have to be open-minded with us, knowing there’s limited time. Let’s get into the playoffs first. Once we do that, we can see who our projected starter is. I still think we’re a little bit away from that.”
NOTES
Should Vegas face another Eastern Conference team this season, it would be in the Stanley Cup Final. The Knights set a franchise record with 22 wins against the East, going 22-8-2. This was the Knights’ ninth sweep of the season, a franchise best. Vegas also scored two power-play goals for the second time in three games.
UP NEXT
- Blue Jackets: At Washington on Tuesday to conclude a five-game road swing.
- Golden Knights: At Vancouver on Tuesday to open a three-game Canadian road trip.
