On Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights (10-4-6) kicked off a three-game road trip against the Utah Mammoth (10-8-3). They survived Utah’s first-period push and took control of the game in the second. In the third, they extended their lead early and hunkered down defensively for a 4-1 win.

The Mammoth were all over the Golden Knights to start the first period, and Akira Schmid had to make a save in tight on Michael Carcone just 11 seconds into the game. Schmid kept the Golden Knights in the game in the first period. 

The Golden Knights broke the ice at 3:09 in the second period. Jack Eichel fired a shot on net at the same time that Brett Howden blew a tire trying to cut around Nate Schmidt. As Howden crashed into the goal post, Pavel Dorofeyev swept the rebound towards the net. Karel Vejmelka made the save, and Eichel deposited the puck into the empty cage before Vejmelka could reset.  

Just 19 seconds later, the Golden Knights struck again. Cole Reinhardt went in on the forecheck and became the recipient of a fortunate bounce off the end boards. He backhanded a pass to an activating Ben Hutton, who cut between Brandon Tanev and Nick DeSimone and wristed a shot that beat Vejmelka five-hole. 

Tempers flared at 6:16 in the second period, and several scrums broke out for a total of 10 PIMs. The Golden Knights ended up on the right side and headed to the power play. However, Braedan Bowman negated the power play by taking a penalty nine seconds in, and the teams headed to 4-on-4.

At 6:38 in the second, the Mammoth cut the Golden Knights’ lead in half. Ian Cole sent a cross-ice pass to Nate Schmidt, who beat Akira Schmid with a wrister from the right circle. 

Schmidt’s goal seemed to wake the Golden Knights up, and they dominated the Mammoth for the rest of the night. 

The Golden Knights regained their two-goal lead at 16:51 in the second. Mikhail Sergachev’s shot hit Lawson Crouse in front of the net, and Shea Theodore cleared it to the outside. Braedan Bowman corralled the puck and banked a stretch pass ahead to Jack Eichel, who scored on the breakaway. 

The Golden Knights sucked the life out of Delta Center by scoring 45 seconds into the third period. Jack Eichel circled the wagon, drifted above the goal line, and set Braedan Bowman up for a tap-in. 

A three-goal lead put the Golden Knights firmly in the driver’s seat. For the rest of the third, they hunkered down and kept the puck out of their net.

Three stars of the game: Jack Eichel, Braedan Bowman, Shea Theodore 

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. You can usually tell if a goaltender is ‘dialed in’ by seeing how they handle the first few minutes of the game. Tonight, Akira Schmid made a great save on Michael Carcone in tight just 11 seconds into the game. Schmid played very well, finishing the night with a 25-save win and a 1.97 GSAx.

2. Jack Eichel is officially off the schneid. His tally in the second period snapped a nine-game goalless drought.

3. Over the last month, a lot has been made of the Golden Knights’ struggles in the second period. Tonight, they completely flipped the script. They outshot the Mammoth 17-9 in the second period and generated 11 high-danger scoring chances to Utah’s two. 

4. The Golden Knights won tonight due in no small part to how their fourth line handled Utah’s top line. Their line of Cole Reinhardt, Colton Sissons, and Keegan Kolesar drew matchups that, on paper, were unfavorable. Despite the supposed disadvantage, the energy line outshot their opponents 6-1 at 5-on-5.

5. Right now, Ben Hutton has the hottest stick on the team. He has goals in two straight games for the first time since 2018. 

6. Braedan Bowman belongs in the NHL. I’m not sure where he fits into the lineup when Mark Stone returns from LTIR, but his roster spot shouldn’t be in question. Even without scoring, he does the little things well— he goes to the net, forechecks well, and reads plays well. Tonight, Bowman became the first player in Golden Knights franchise history to score three goals in his first five NHL games. 

7. Between the big hits, the extracurriculars, and the fight, tonight’s game was chippy. The Golden Knights will be back in Salt Lake City on Monday. I’d bet there will be some carryover.