Golden Knights overcome defensive breakdown to assert dominance

The Vegas Golden Knights overcame a defensive misstep to regain control and defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday. The lapse occurred when defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb found themselves out of position on a play that led to Jordan Greenway’s goal at 12:23 of the second period, trimming Vegas’ 2‑0 lead to one. “Me and Theo had immoderate miscommunication. We weren’t excessively blessed astir that goal,” McNabb said. Before the mistake, Vegas had dominated the opening frame, outshooting Chicago 15‑4 and building a two‑goal advantage. Theodore and McNabb, known as the Original Misfits, were skating together for the 384th time in regular‑season action. “I thought we played good done the archetypal two, and past we benignant of fto small details slip, but that’ll hap astatine the opening of the season,” Theodore said. Vegas answered quickly. After regaining possession in the Blackhawks’ zone, a 48‑second shift sparked by Ivan Barbashev winning a puck battle led to Jack Eichel’s goal. The puck cycled to McNabb, whose shot went wide; Barbashev collected, circled the net and found Eichel with 4:48 left in the period. “Vegas has been known arsenic a puck-recovery team,” manager Ryan Craig said. “Can we reattack disconnected that, oregon get pucks backmost beneath the extremity enactment and spell to the slot oregon the crease? That extremity was a bully example.” In the third period, Patrick Kane’s goal made it 3‑2. Vegas then generated a 4‑on‑2 chance, and Noah Hanifin batted in a rebound from Nic Dowd to record his first goal since Dec. 9. “It benignant