Victor Olofsson scored the game-winner late within the third interval to provide the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday evening at Rogers Area. Nils Hoglander scored in his return to the lineup, and Aatu Raty knotted it at two within the second after Nick Roy gave the Golden Knights the lead, however because the Golden Knights have accomplished all season, they rode a strong third interval to a victory.
With the win, the Golden Knights transfer nearer to clinching a Pacific Division championship, growing their result in 5 factors forward of the Los Angeles Kings. They now sit at 102 factors because of a file of 47-22-8. The Canucks, in the meantime, stay eight factors behind the Minnesota Wild for the ultimate wild card spot with solely 5 video games remaining. At this level, they would want a miracle to have any probability of constructing the playoffs. With that, right here’s your recreation recap.
Recreation Recap
The Canucks opened the scoring early within the first with Hoglander’s seventh of the season off a scramble in entrance of Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill. The Golden Knights responded slightly underneath 4 minutes later after an in depth play on the blue line that despatched Ivan Barbashev in on a partial breakaway. He was in a position to get forward of Filip Hronek and make a slick deke to the backhand to beat Kevin Lankinen for his twenty first. The Golden Knights then took the lead at 13:15 on a fortunate bounce off Canucks defenceman Victor Mancini after Lankinen made a save on an extended shot by Roy. It ricocheted off the again of Mancini’s skate and simply contained in the put up to reward wrap Roy’s thirteenth. The Canucks had an opportunity to tie it on the ability play in direction of the tip of the interval, however couldn’t get the equalizer, sending the Golden Knights to the dressing room with a 2-1 lead.
The Canucks ended up getting that equalizer within the second interval courtesy of Raty’s sixth of the season and fourth previously six video games. Just like Hoglander’s aim within the first, he was in a position to chip a puck previous Hill off a scramble within the crease. The Golden Knights challenged for goaltender interference, however the aim stood after the prolonged overview from the officers. The Canucks couldn’t rating on the following energy play, and killed one other deadly Golden Knights benefit afterward to maintain the rating tied at two going into second intermission.
It was solely a matter of time with how a lot puck possession and zone time the Golden Knights had within the last body earlier than they scored to take the lead. The Canucks bent for nearly all the third interval and ultimately broke when Olofsson took a feed from behind the online from William Karlsson and buried his 14th previous Lankinen to interrupt the 2-2 tie. The Canucks couldn’t manufacture a lot after that, and ended up dropping 3-2.
Lankinen did his finest to provide the Canucks an opportunity to steal some much-needed factors on this recreation, significantly within the third interval, the place his crew was outshot 12-2. He completed with a strong 32 saves on 35 photographs, whereas his counterpart on the different finish, Hill, stopped 19 of 21.
What’s Subsequent for the Canucks & Golden Knights?
The Canucks will head onto the highway for a fast two-game journey, which begins on Tuesday towards the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights additionally play on Tuesday as they are going to be in Colorado to tackle the Avalanche.
