The Vegas Golden Knights offense came to life against the Montreal Canadiens, as part of a 6-2 victory at Bell Centre on Saturday.
The Golden Knights improved to 13-6-2 on the season, and goalie Adin Hill made 15 saves.
“I thought it was a lot of good things, it wasn’t just luck,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “And once you get a lead like that, then you should be able to finish the job, and we did.”
Here are three takeaway from the game:
Explosive Second Period
The Golden Knights’s offense has been inconsistent of late, but it came to life by scoring five goals in the second period to put the game away early.
Tomas Hertl, Cal Burke, Ivan Barbashev, Tanner Pearson, and Keegan Kolesar scored in the period.
“It was a great feeling, even better that we were able to close it out,” Kolesar said.
Golden Knights’ Top Line Dominates
Eichel (one goal, two assists) and Barbashev (one goal, two assists) had a dominant night against the Canadiens.
Montreal made a push in the third period, scoring two goals, but Eichel’s goal at 18:12 capped off a good night for the top line.
“They had a good night,” Cassidy said. “Let’s face it, in the third period, we got off our game; they pushed us. I know it’s late, but at the end of the day, good on them to make a play.”
It has been a game of musical chairs on Eichel’s right wing with forward Mark Stone out of the lineup. Cassidy has tried Alexander Holtz, Pavel Dorofeyev, and most recently Burke in that spot, which brings us to…
Burke’s First NHL Goal
Burke tallied his first NHL goal by playing alongside the top line.
“It feels good. It takes a little bit of pressure off, knowing that you can do it and you’ve got a goal, so you’re not always fishing for it,” he said. “To score my first goal, assisted by Eichel and Barbashev. ‘Barbie’ made a good pass, put it on a platter for me.”
Burke has played six career NHL games after spending most of his career in the minors. While Burke’s time with the team may be limited, the Golden Knights hope he can give them some valuable minutes and solid play during his stint with the team.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
