Coach Ryan Craig expected a bully commencement and a consciousness of excitement for the Vegas Golden Knights veterans playing their archetypal preseason game.
The commencement was slow. The excitement picked up successful the 2nd half, with the Knights completing the comeback successful a 5-4 overtime triumph implicit the Utah Mammoth astatine T-Mobile Arena connected Thursday.
Jack Eichel scored the game-winner 39 seconds into overtime.
The Knights rallied from 3-1 down successful the 3rd play with goals from defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and skipper Mark Stone.
Utah defenseman Tomas Lavoie broke the necktie with 1:31 remaining, but halfway Tomas Hertl tied it with a six-on-five extremity with 26 seconds left.
Forward Victor Olofsson scored, and goaltender Adin Hill finished with 17 saves. Eichel and defenseman Shea Theodore had 3 points each.
The Knights dressed 17 of their 18 projected skaters for opening night. The lone quality was Jonas Rondbjerg playing for a 2nd consecutive game. Rondbjerg, inactive warring for a roster spot, skated astatine fourth-line near helping implicit Marc Gatcomb aft the newcomer played the erstwhile 2 games.
Fourteen of those players dressed for their archetypal crippled since June 14 erstwhile they mislaid Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. NHL veterans privation thing much than to accelerated guardant the preseason – nary substance however abbreviated present – and get to existent action.
The Knights looked similar that ascendant squad aboriginal on. Center Jack Eichel drew a hooking punishment 45 seconds into the game. The new-look powerfulness play generated immoderate chances and gave a look astatine however Craig wants to run the antheral advantage. It’s going to instrumentality a batch of question and trial-and-error against NHL-quality punishment kills, but determination was promise.
Olofsson gave the Knights a 1-0 pb connected a one-timer from the close ellipse astatine 9:38, a reminder that the three-time 20-goal scorer tin sprout the puck and volition capable the void near down from Pavel Dorofeyev.
But arsenic the archetypal play wore on, it looked similar a squad that hadn’t played a meaningful crippled successful 3 months and has yet to play a preseason game. The Knights looked retired of sorts. Decision making was subpar. Passing was sloppy, particularly connected a turnover from Ivan Barbashev that led to a putback extremity from Utah guardant Liam O’Brien to springiness the Mammoth a 2-1 lead.
Utah scored doubly successful 40 seconds, starting with a power-play extremity from defenseman Zac Jones.
The Knights got to their crippled successful the second, but didn’t person an reply for Utah goaltender Sebastian Cossa, finishing with 30 saves.
The Knights wrapper up the preseason Saturday astatine location against the San Jose Sharks. Don’t expect overmuch to alteration successful presumption of the lineup, but it’s harmless to expect a amended to-minute effort.
Contact Danny Webster astatine dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 connected X.
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