The Vegas Golden Knights extended their lead with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, their fourth straight win. They also remained undefeated under new head coach John Tortorella.
Even this late in the season, the so-called “coaching bump” is proving to be very real in Las Vegas. Since Tortorella took over behind the bench, the Golden Knights have looked much better and it's clearly paying off.
However, tonight didn't start off well. The Golden Knights took control of the game early and outshot Vancouver in the first period, but the Canucks struck first.
Midway through the second period, Max Sasson fired a pass past goaltender Carter Hart to give Vancouver a 1–0 lead. It's a goal Hart will likely want to get back to, especially with the playoffs approaching and his role looking like the No. 1 goalie for the team moving forward.
Shortly after Sasson's goal, Braden McNabb scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game. While Tomas Hertl did not record a point in the game, his net-front presence was large, providing an ideal screen that made Vancouver goaltender Nikita Tolopillo difficult to see.
The second period ended quietly, and the third followed a similar script. But midway through the final frame, Cole Smith made the breakthrough. His go-ahead goal gave Vegas a 2–1 lead, and was ultimately the game-winner.
The Golden Knights pressed defensively, allowing a total of 10 shots on goal, the fewest ever allowed in franchise history, surpassing the previous mark of 14.
Vegas now continues its four-game road trip with a stop in Seattle against the Kraken before finishing up in Colorado. Now the question is, can they make it five straight?
It's also worth noting that with this win, the Golden Knights are now tied for first place in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers, further solidifying their late-season push. We'll see if a fifth division title is on the way with only four games left in the regular season.
