The Vegas Golden Knights played the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday, facing the Colorado Avalanche in a preseason rematch featuring mostly NHL regulars. Both teams shrugged off a slow start and played sound, tight hockey. The Golden Knights struck twice in the third period and beat the Avalanche 2-1.

Neither team appeared particularly competitive early on. The Golden Knights and the Avalanche went end-to-end trading chances, with Alexander Holtz and Joel Kiviranta both hitting the post 45 seconds apart. But as the first period progressed, so did the intensity. The Karlsson line spent a dangerous shift in the Avalanche’s zone that led to a Mitch Marner scoring chance right after he hopped over the boards, but he hit the post.

The Avalanche took the lead 18:07 into the first period. Gabe Landeskog ripped a shot through traffic that beat Akira Schmid short side.

Cole Reinhardt went to the box for interference at the end of the first period, putting the Golden Knights on the penalty kill for 1:53 to start the second. They killed it off, along with a Shea Theodore tripping penalty later in the period.

There were no goals scored in the second period, but it was far from uneventful. The Golden Knights outshot the Avalanche 11-5. However, the Avalanche had a 9-8 edge in scoring chances; Valeri Nichushkin beat Schmid clean at 4:52 but hit the post. 

The Golden Knights finally broke through at 5:30 in the third period. Brayden McNabb blasted a shot from the point, and Brett Howden redirected it past Scott Wedgewood.

The Golden Knights pulled ahead with 5:20 remaining in the third period. Reilly Smith forced a turnover in on the forecheck and found Mark Stone atop the crease, who chipped a pass over to William Karlsson. Brock Nelson sprawled out to block his shot; from his knees, Karlsson backhanded the rebound past Wedgewood. 

The Avalanche pulled Wedgewood for the extra attacker, but the Golden Knights and Schmid kept the puck out of their net. Mitch Marner drew a penalty with 26 seconds remaining in regulation, and that was that.

Three stars of the game: William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Akira Schmid

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. Huge credit to Akira Schmid, who rebounded admirably after allowing a stinker in the first period. He really settled in and didn’t let Landeskog’s goal rattle him. He made 21 saves, including a few against the Avalanche’s late 6-on-5 push. 

2. The Smith—Karlsson—Stone line is going to be a problem. They generated the best looks of the night; eventually, they made it count. Cassidy complimented Karlsson’s third-period go-ahead goal, calling it a “greasy, hockey goal.”

3. Mark Stone has just one setting, and it’s pedal to the metal. He’s nonstop. It doesn’t matter if it’s the preseason— Stone plays every game like it might be his last. 

4. I’m a big fan of Brandon Saad’s patented power move to the net. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him convert on the chance in a Golden Knights sweater, but one of these days, he will, and it’ll be glorious.

Read More: Life After Hockey: Alec Martinez Stepping Into Golden Knights Booth

5. Mitch Marner is an excellent penalty killer. He has an excellent defensive stick in general, but it really stands out against the best players in the league when they have time and space. Between Marner, Eichel, Stone, Karlsson, Sissons, Howden, and Kolesar, Bruce Cassidy has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to penalty killing forwards.

6. I can’t remember the last time I watched a preseason game with this kind of intensity. After the first five minutes or so, I was convinced that this would be your run-of-the-mill preseason game, primarily intended to get players ready for when it counts next week. Nope. It evolved into a pretty competitive game, with William Karlsson’s unit shutting down 20 minutes of Nathan MacKinnon and 26 minutes of Cale Makar.

7. Tonight’s preseason win pales in comparison to the significance that the date– October 1st– has to all Golden Knights fans and Las Vegas residents. Today, the Golden Knights Foundation donated $1 million to Vegas Strong Fund to support the construction of a tribute to the victims and survivors of the 1 October tragedy called the Forever 1 Memorial. 

“It’s an emotional day, for sure,” said William Karlsson postgame. “Every October 1st is to honor the fallen. A win doesn’t really matter– it’s just the day in general… I remember [the first Golden Knights’ home game] being super emotional. There was no way we were going to lose that game… I’ll never forget it.”