{"id":412280,"date":"2026-01-17T07:23:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/412280\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T07:23:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:23:38","slug":"game-of-the-year-golden-knights-top-maple-leafs-in-overtime-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/412280\/","title":{"rendered":"Game of the Year! Golden Knights Top Maple Leafs in Overtime Thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights (23-11-12) played the second half of a back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs (23-16-8). Despite trailing by two goals on four separate occasions, they kept chipping away at Toronto\u2019s lead. Mitch Marner recorded two assists in his\u00a0first game against his former team<\/a>, and Jack Eichel lifted the Golden Knights to a 6-5 overtime victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prior to the game, the Golden Knights activated Adin Hill from Injured Reserve, and the goaltender made his first start since October 20th. Unfortunately for Hill, the Golden Knights didn\u2019t exactly make life easy for him in the first two periods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights came out flat to start; the Maple Leafs had no such issues. Toronto outshot them 15-10 in the first and led by two goals on two separate occasions.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs opened the scoring at 2:05 in the first period. William Nylander won a puck race, danced around Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl, and found Morgan Rielly completely alone above the left circle. Rielly took his ice and beat Adin Hill shortside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs doubled their lead at 5:03 in the first. William Nylander went skate-to-stick and finished off a backhand beauty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mama, there goes that man. Some absolute filth from William Nylander who once again manages to go unmarked by Golden Knight on the ice. <\/p>\n

2-0, Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/NWjfyIYB9I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Golden Knights got on the board on the power play at 8:12 in the period. Jack Eichel surveyed the ice and passed the puck to Mitch Marner at the point. Marner sent a touch pass to Pavel Dorofeyev, who rocketed a one-timer past Joseph Woll short-side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs responded less than two minutes later. Jake McCabe flung a centering pass towards Austin Matthews, who directed it past Adin Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the second period, the Golden Knights had to take risks for offense, and the Maple Leafs generated scoring chances in transition. The Maple Leafs generated nine<\/a> scoring chances while limiting Vegas to two.<\/p>\n

However, the Golden Knights made their chances count and cut the Maple Leafs\u2019 lead to one at 5:51 in the second period. Noah Hanifin found Braedan Bowman below the goal line, and Keegan Kolesar banged in Bowman\u2019s rebound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs regained their two-goal lead at 12:46 in the second. Matthew Knies found Matias Maccelli all alone in the left circle, and John Tavares deflected the ensuing shot past Adin Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the third period, the Golden Knights were a force of nature. Despite facing a minor setback\u2013 and having a goal disallowed\u2013 they largely controlled play and outshot the Maple Leafs 13-6. They generated 12 scoring chances while limiting Toronto to four, and eventually, their resilience paid off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights again made it a one-goal game just 2:10 into the third period. On the power play, Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl won the draw back to Mitch Marner, who took his ice and fired wide of the net. Pavel Dorofeyev slipped around Steven Lorentz and banged in the rebound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs regained their two-goal lead at 8:58 in the third. Steven Lorentz blew past Mitch Marner in the neutral zone and sprung Matthew Knies and Scott Laughton on a 2-on-1. Knies got the pass across, and Laughton slammed it home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights again cut the Maple Leafs\u2019 lead to one at 10:14 in the third. Jeremy Lauzon sprung Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev on a 2-on-1. Woll made the save on Barbashev\u2019s one-time attempt, and Mark Stone crashed the net to collect the change.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who else but Mark Stone to once again make things interesting. Joseph Woll denies Ivan Barbashev on a 2-on-1, and Stone finally jams it in. <\/p>\n

5-4, Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/lSrarWxQNs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Golden Knights thought they tied it with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. However, the goal was deemed to be offside and disallowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights pulled Adin Hill for the extra attacker, and finally converted after nearly two minutes of sustained pressure. Jack Eichel found Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl in the bumper, and Hertl slammed it home with seven seconds remaining in regulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In overtime, the Maple Leafs failed to record a shot on goal despite possessing the puck for the entire first minute. At 2:44, Auston Matthews lost his man, and Mark Stone found a wide-open Jack Eichel between the hashmarks. Eichel moved in, deked, and roofed a backhand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights extended their win streak to six games, and Mark Stone extended his point streak to ten games.<\/p>\n

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\t\tHannah Kirkell is a beat writer covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on Sportsnaut. She studied … More about Hannah Kirkell<\/a><\/p>\n

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