*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
The Vegas Golden Knights have some really good top level talent, but, on Thursday, it was all about the depth. William Carrier scored, Nicolas Roy scored, and the Golden Knights rallied to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Thursday night in Newark.
It was all of the secondary scoring depth that carried the load for the Golden Knights in this one. 5 different skaters scored while 11 total skaters registered at least one point. Vegas has now won 3 straight games and 6 of their last 7 to improve to 18-11-0 this season, sitting in 3rd place in a tightly packed Pacific Division.
Vegas head coach Pete Deboer said after the game that "We did just enough to win. We take the two points and move on. I liked our first, hated our second and we were opportunistic in the third."
It was the Devils who got on the board first, with Jack Hughes scoring his 5th goal of the season 1:41 into the game, making it 1-0 Devils. Dylan Coghlan then tied it up for the Golden Knights 10:27 into the period on the power play, his second goal of the season. Carrier provided the only goal of the second period, and it was 2-1 Golden Knights after two periods.
William Karlsson scored 7:37 into the 3rd period for Vegas, increasing the lead to 3-1 on his 3rd of the season. Just 33 seconds later and it was 4-1 Golden Knights thanks to Roy, who scored his 5th goal this season. Tomas Tatar then scored on the power play and Jimmy Vesey added a shorthanded goal, getting the Devils back in the game with a 4-3 score. Jonathan Marchessault's empty net goal for Vegas sealed the win.
Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton said of the loss that "Everything's tough right now, we're not scoring, we're giving up goals. We're all working, working through it, trying to stay positive. We got a lot of young guys, but there are no excuses, no reason to be negative. Obviously, we're losing a lot and it stinks, but we have to keep coming, keep working and keep getting better."
Robin Lehner got the start in net for Vegas before he was ejected at the end of the game after a massive scrum ensued. He got the win while saving 23 of the 26 shots he faced for a .885 save percentage. With the win, Lehner's record improved to 13-9-0 in 23 starts this season.
On the other side of the ice, Mackenzie Blackwood got another start for the Devils, getting the loss. Blackwood turned aside 25 of the 29 shots on goal Vegas had, posting a .862 save percentage. With the loss, Blackwood's record drops to 5-6-3 this season in 15 starts.
The Golden Knights wrap up a back to back when they face the New York Rangers on Friday night, with Laurent Brossoit getting the start between the pipes. The Devils square off against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, with Blackwood likely to start again.
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