Hanifin scores twice in third as Golden Knights snap road losing streak, defeat Oilers 4-2

The Vegas Golden Knights put an end to their road woes with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night at Rogers Place.

Noah Hanifin scored twice in the third period as the Golden Knights spoiled Connor McDavid’s return to the lineup. Adin Hill delivered another solid performance, turning aside 27 of 29 shots for a .931 save percentage to help his team come away with an important two points.

Brayden McNabb skated in his 515th game with the Golden Knights, passing Jonathan Marchessault for the most games played in franchise history.

It was Vegas’ first road win of the season after an 0-3-1 start, and it marked the first time Vegas has won in regulation in Edmonton in the regular season since Feb. 8, 2022.

The Golden Knights opened the scoring on a gorgeous goal by Jack Eichel, who finished off a stellar passing play. Shea Theodore’s backhand feed sent Eichel in alone, and he deked around Stuart Skinner for his fourth tally of the season.

The Oilers took over in the second period and scored the next two, starting with a deflection by Brett Kulak. Hill had no chance on the play, as Kulak got to the middle of the ice and tipped a Darnell Nurse shot from the point.

Zach Hyman gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead at 15:56 off a strange bounce off the end boards, slipping the puck behind Hill to put Edmonton ahead.

But Hanifin struck twice in the final frame, starting with a power-play goal just past the midway point of the period. Eichel sent a cross-ice feed to William Karlsson down low, forcing Skinner to move side to side; Karlsson delayed and then hit Hanifin, whose point shot beat Skinner on a partial screen.

The two clubs were 49 seconds away from overtime when Hanifin stunned the Edmonton faithful with his second of the game and third of the season. Ivan Barbashev won a battle along the boards before finding a streaking Hanifin.

Mark Stone scored an empty-net goal with five seconds to go to ice the 4-2 decision.

The Golden Knights finally picked up their first road win of the season.

Vegas was disciplined and won the special-teams battle, and Hill was a rock in net. It was arguably his most impactful performance, as he stole the game for Vegas. His third-period save on Viktor Arvidsson was a game-saver, and he seemed to be in vintage form to improve to 6-2-0 on the year.

Though the fourth line was strong on the forecheck, it was a top-heavy performance for the Golden Knights, with the Eichel line being the primary scoring threat. Barbashev tallied three assists, and the trio of Eichel, Barbashev and Stone combined for seven points on the night (six at even strength).

However, the Golden Knights did what they had to do in hostile territory to overcome a concerning losing streak.

Though Edmonton’s penalty kill has been awful this season, the Vegas power play demonstrated patience and came through with the critical equalizer. The man-advantage continues to be a strength for the Golden Knights this year, and it’s a key reason why the club is 9-3-1 and in first place in the Pacific Division.

Hanifin has been a different player since being paired up with Alex Pietrangelo, and he has been particularly dominant in recent games, collecting three goals and five points in his last two contests.

Hanifin had one assist through the first six games of the year but has since recorded three goals and seven points in seven games.

The Golden Knights will head to Seattle for a Friday night tilt against the Kraken before returning home to host the Hurricanes on Monday.