The Vegas Golden Knights (19-11-12) defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-7) by a final score of 5-3 in yet another come-from-behind victory Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.

Reilly Smith scored two goals, and Mark Stone scored for the sixth straight game as the Golden Knights rallied from a 2-0 deficit, scoring four straight en route to the 5-3 win.

However, the Golden Knights lost goaltender Carter Hart to an injury in the first period. Hart was unable to put any weight on his leg when he was helped off the ice and did not return.

Akira Schmid, who was named to Team Switzerland’s roster for the Olympics, turned aside 21 of 23 shots for a .913 save percentage in relief.

Defenseman Dylan Coghlan kicked off his second stint with Vegas by making his season debut, recording three blocks in 15:58. This was Coghlan’s first game with the Golden Knights since April 29, 2022 against St. Louis.

The Blue Jackiets scored on their first shot of the game, but they weren’t facing a goaltender anywhere close to 100 percent. In fact, Hart was visibly battling through an injury in the crease, struggling to play the position or even pick up his stick.

However, NHL Rule 8.1 allows the referees to use discretion regarding when to blow the play dead if the injured player’s team is not in possession of the puck:

NHL Rule 8.1 — When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player’s team has secured control of the puck. If the player’s team is in control of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his team is in a scoring position. In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesperson may stop the play immediately.

Certainly, there have been many instances when the whistle is blown for far less serious and obviously restrictive injuries, but the referees’ judgment allowed the play to continue, resulting in the goal. Hart played just 8:24.

For the Golden Knights, the all-too-familiar two-goal deficit reared its head once more, as Kent Johnson gave the road team a 2-0 lead just 2:17 later.

But once the Golden Knights were trailing by two goals, everything changed. Vegas woke up, found its rhythm and got right back into the game.

In fact, it took just 1:39 for Smith to cut the deficit to one, redirecting the puck off a point shot by Ben Hutton.

The referees later called a phantom high-sticking penalty on Keegan Kolesar late in the frame, but a particularly aggressive effort on the penalty kill kept it a one-goal contest after one.

The Golden Knights took over the game in the second period, scoring three more unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead going into the third.

Smith got things started with his second of the night 5:19 into the middle frame. Vegas’ patience on a delayed penalty paid off, and Smith beat goaltender Jet Greaves on the rush to reset the score.

Schmid stepped up with a timely save to keep things knotted at 2-2, and the Golden Knights responded with another goal, taking their first lead of the night.

Jack Eichel scored on a laser at 13:07 after Ivan Barbashev made a strong play to delay inside the blue line before finding Eichel.

The Golden Knights potted their fourth straight goal when the captain continued his torrid pace, netting another power-play goal late in the second period, much like Tuesday in Winnipeg.

This one came at 18:44, as Stone and Tomas Hertl played ping-pong in front before Stone slammed it home to give the Golden Knights a two-goal lead of their own.

The Golden Knights got a power play less than three minutes into the third period but weren’t able to convert. However, Vegas moved the puck well and maintained control of the game.

That didn’t mean Columbus would go quietly, though. Kirill Marchenko got behind the Vegas defense, cherry-picking for his 16th of the year to make it 4-3 with 5:32 remaining in the third.

But the Golden Knights had an answer less than two minutes later on a 2-on-1, as Keegan Kolesar sent a perfectly-timed pass to Brett Howden, who restored Vegas’ two-goal lead at 16:14 of the third.

Howden’s ninth of the year helped the Golden Knights close out the 5-3 win.

The Golden Knights may have fallen into another two-goal hole, but they played a much more complete game against the Blue Jackets. They got off to a decent start but had some bad luck on the goal during Hart’s injury. However, they really turned things around quickly once they were trailing.

If the Golden Knights could play with the same urgency at the start of the game, this would be a very different team.

Fortunately for Vegas, Stone has been on another level this year. He has points in 23 out of 26 games and goals in six straight, and he continues to lead the Golden Knights on both sides of the puck. It’s hard to imagine where this Vegas team would be without his extraordinary campaign.

One statistic that captures just how dominant Stone has been is the fact that he has recorded points in 88 percent of his games. The only other player in the NHL who has earned points in at least 85 percent of his games is none other than Connor McDavid (86 percent with 38 points in 44 games).

For whatever reason, the key for the Golden Knights seems to be being down 2-0. That’s not a winning strategy, but one factor from the win that will need to be part of the solution moving forward is depth scoring.

Smith scored another two goals, and Howden took care of the insurance marker in the third period to help Vegas maintain the lead and walk away with an important two points. This was the first time Vegas won consecutive games since Dec. 13, which ironically was against the Blue Jackets.

Bruce Cassidy’s new-look lines generated some more dynamic offensive pressure, with Smith and Mitch Marner (who tallied two assists) showing chemistry and the Hertl, Howden and Kolesar trio leading 11-3 in shot attempts and 5-1 in shots. However, putting Pavel Dorofeyev and Braeden Bowman on the fourth line may not be sustainable.

At the end of the day, every win matters, and every point counts.

That being said, the Golden Knights’ last two wins have come against the last-place teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. It’s difficult to tell how much weight that carries in the victories, but for a Golden Knights team that has struggled so consistently in recent weeks, it’s important to find ways to win and continue to collect points.

There is some concern regarding Hart’s injury. Cassidy did not have an update on Hart’s status following the game but said the team would know more ahead of Saturday’s home tilt against St. Louis.

Statistics courtesy of Natural STat Trick.

Photo via Golden Knights